Richard Harley, Author at Niagara Now

Royal George rebuild is personal for NOTL’s Jon Taylor

Taylor’s sights are set on transforming the aging Royal George Theatre into an accessible, modern space for performers and audiences alike.

Editorial: Time to embrace change at the Royal George

“A major institution is doing things the right way — listening, adjusting, communicating and making real efforts to include the public in the process. That’s not lip service. That’s leadership,” writes editor-in-chief Richard Harley.

Editorial: Speak out against unregulated vacation rentals on July 22

“Niagara-on-the-Lake is not meant to be a town of lockboxes and absentee landlords. It’s a place to live,” writes editor-in-chief Richard Harley. “And while tourism is part of that identity, it should not come at the expense of neighbourhoods.”

Editorial: Canada Day traditions, sounds and politicians

“This isn’t about nitpicking. It’s about recognizing that Canada Day in NOTL isn’t just a party — it’s a platform. A chance to show the world who we are, and how much we care about this place and this country,” writes editor-in-chief Richard Harley.

Walking for water: Crossroads students march to advocate for clean drinking water for all

Hundreds of students at Crossroads Public School took to the streets on Tuesday, walking around the block with homemade signs to raise awareness about the importance of clean drinking water for all communities.

Editorial: Oosterhoff presence was an insult to Shaw’s values

“We’re thrilled that Shaw is receiving $35 million in funding — arts organizations need and deserve public support. But it was disturbing to see Oosterhoff pretending to stand for Shaw. Because he doesn’t. Not for a second,” writes editor-in-chief Richard Harley.

Editorial: Wild West of Wine series aims to promote fairness

“The goal of this series isn’t to shut down a local business — we don’t want that. What we want is meaningful change that modernizes NOTL’s zoning bylaws and ensures they reflect the realities of 2025,” writes editor-in-chief Richard Harley.

NOTL man loses bid to quash Marotta defamation suit

“To be sued for a Facebook post that commented on an issue of public interest, was up for seven days, was seen by a limited number of people and removed at the request of Solmar’s lawyer is disturbing,” says Stewart Hall, who plans to appeal the ruling.

Editorial: More to ponder from our ‘process-driven’ mayor

“While we normally applaud efforts to engage with residents, his execution left a lot to be desired. To say his method of engaging residents is strange, is a vast understatement,” writes editor-in-chief Richard Harley.

Editorial: Gates is a candidate for the people

There’s a provincial election Feb. 27. Despite that, you might not have heard much about this riding’s candidates running this year — because most of them won’t pick up the phone or sit

Editorial: That’s a wrap for 2024

Sometimes a small idea blossoms into something big and beautiful. Something that has a ripple affect across the community. A couple of weeks ago, while planning our annual holiday wrapping paper, we were

Editorial: Let’s keep the conversation going

Last week’s editorial about public access to public documents got a conversation going. We heard from several readers who congratulated us on the opinion piece, which — in response to a conversation at

Editorial: Yes, we can help fix the housing crisis

Ever heard something that just makes you scratch your head and go “What!?” Last week in response to an excellent decision by town council to pause the approval of any more short-term rental

Ford stops in NOTL for private meeting at developer’s home

Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford made an unannounced stop in Niagara-on-the-Lake Monday night, for a private function at the home of prominent developer Rainer Hummel, joined by Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa, Coun. Erwin Wiens, Shaw Festival executive director Tim Jennings and others from the provincial government.

Editorial: Concealing documents is not openness

“It’s a sad state of affairs when our town lets this kind of thing slide by — when only one or two politicians stand up against withholding information and fight for what’s right,” writes editor-in-chief Richard Harley.

Editorial: Celebrate for a myriad of reasons

“Can you believe it? Another year has almost passed and it’s now settling into the season of Christmas trees, holiday lights and comfort foods,” writes editor-in-chief Richard Harley, with a full calendar of what’s going on in town for the holiday season.