“In short, we have two candidates who, should they become lord mayor, will support and perpetuate the current system and one candidate who is willing to take what we’ve got and work toward something different,” writes Brian Marshall.
Premier Doug Ford’s “populist presentation” is “a facade behind which his government diligently works to centralize power, control and decision-making in the premier and cabinet ministers’ offices,” writes Brian Marshall.
“Hospitality, viticulture and agriculture are the career choices of a comparable few, not the many. The town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has focused for so long and with single-minded purpose on tourism that it has largely become a single-source economy,” writes Brian Marshall.
“We have to do more than put a Band-Aid on a broken system — otherwise, flooding will become the new norm,” writes Brian Marshall.
“As a collective, we fall into the rut of repeating the past simply because it is familiar and comfortable. But, then there are those who step out and create new and wonderful alternatives,” writes Brian Marshall.
“Without proper maintenance,” writes Brian Marshall, “in a short period of time, a drain can lose its effectiveness to manage water and help to prevent flooding.”
“While the current council does not bear full responsibility for the sad state of our infrastructure, its decision to greenlight development applications that rely on the same inadequate and failing infrastructure must be called into question,” writes Brian Marshall.
“What do we want our legislative bodies — municipal and provincial — to do to underwrite our shared wish relative to protecting Ontario’s heritage?” writes Brian Marshall.
Over the last five centuries, says Frank Lloyd Wright, what humanity has called architecture has been “phony”: “It was not innate, it wasn’t organic and it didn’t have the character of nature.”
“This non-profit took the bitter pill in favour of supporting the health and welfare of the community they are anchored in. And, that decision, in and of itself, is a shining example of a cultural institution that understands its vital connection to the local greater good,” writes Brian Marshall.
“The finished structure will not only become the dominant building within the Queen-Picton heritage conservation district, but abruptly clash with and diminish the built-heritage assets,” writes Brian Marshall of the new Royal George Theatre.
“Bit by bit, the legal underpinning by which a municipality can defensibly justify decisions to preserve its community in the face of a developer’s application are eroded,” writes Brian Marshall.
“Any correctly thinking council — one that represents the good of the town and its residents as opposed to commercial real estate investors — would support proper controls and a cap on the short-term rental market,” writes Brian Marshall.
“Ironic that NOTL, at about a quarter of the population of Portland, should have identical total (2022 vs. 2024) numbers for licensed short-term rentals,” writes Brian Marshall.
“At the very least, this application should not have been deemed complete until it complied with the provisions of the tribunal’s decision. Instead, it was given the go-ahead,” writes Brian Marshall.
“Nobody is sure who coined the term ‘sleepy little town,’ but one thing is for certain: in the past few years, the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake certainly cannot be described in those terms,” writes Brian Marshall.
“This proposal is another fail on multiple levels and is underwritten by the arrogance of applicants simply who want what they want, full stop,” writes Brian Marshall.
“An intelligent man concerned with the welfare of this province’s citizens would come to very different decisions than what is currently occurring at Queen’s Park,” writes Brian Marshall.
“There are those who respect our built heritage, who embrace the generations that have come before and understand how traditional buildings add to our community,” writes Brian Marshall.
“There are those who consider our built heritage just ‘old stuff’ which stands in the way of realizing new development and should be unapologetically demolished,” writes Brian Marshall.
“What we have witnessed is the construction of a 21st-century modern glass and metal hotel that speaks neither to Niagara-on-the-Lake generally nor the Village specifically,” writes Brian Marshall.
“Doug Ford’s government is taking a page out of Trump’s playbook to introduce equally ill-advised legislation with dire future impacts on provincial and local levels,” writes Brian Marshall.
“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.
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