Richard Harley, Author at Niagara Now

Asparagus rush! Steady lines for first crop of season

Within 15 minutes of opening for the season on Wednesday morning, Thwaites Farms had dozens of people lined up to get some of the first asparagus batch of the year. Many people were

Two more NOTL vaccine clinic dates available

Niagara Region public health has announced two more dates for Niagara-on-the-Lake COVID-19 vaccine clinics. The clinics will be held May 15 and 16 at the NOTL Community Centre. Bookings are now open to

Ticketed Glendale resident angry aboutparking enforcement

Glendale resident Daniel St-Jean and his wife Laurel aren't happy they have received two tickets for parking their vehicle on the street outside their home for more than 12 hours. St-Jean said he thinks the bylaw that

NOTL to host tennis, sailing for 2022 Canada Summer Games

Niagara-on-the-Lake is taking a spot on the national stage next year, hosting tennis and sailing for the 2022 Canada Summer Games. “It's a wonderful opportunity for the town,” said NOTL Tennis Club president

Anonymous donor matching Nursery School donations up to $10K

An anonymous donor is encouraging people to donate to Niagara Nursery School by matching donations up to $10,000. The funding will go towards the $2 million nursery school expansion at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Community

Friends of Ryerson Park say concerns about safety, not exclusivity

The Friends of Ryerson Park say proposed solutions to neighbourhood traffic and parking problems were never about excluding people from using the park. Last week, Coun. Erwin Wiens made an emotional speech to council saying

Marotta unveils 191-home subdivision plan for Rand Estate

Resident group SORE vows to fight 'completely inappropriate' proposal for heritage property Developer Benny Marotta has submitted new plans for his controversial development project on the historic Rand Estate. His company, Solmar (Niagara 2) Inc., wants to build

Pandemic Heroes: Heidi Johnson at Willow

One of our Pandemic Heroes nominations came from Cynthia Rand, who nominated Heidi Johnson from Willow Cakes & Pastries. “She is always there when I go, with a smile and a greeting by

NOTL seeks feedback on Ryerson Park traffic, safety complaints

The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake wants to hear from residents about the use of Ryerson Park, located along Niagara Boulevard in the Chautauqua neighbourhood. A town survey is asking residents their thoughts on what should be done

Pandemic Heroes: Penner Building Centre staff

This week’s Pandemic Heroes nomination comes from chef Ryan Crawford, who wanted to celebrate the staff at Penner Building Centre in Virgil. He said through the pandemic, the staff have adapted and gone

Vaccines likely won’t be diverted, Hirji now says

A week ago, Dr. Mustafa Hirji, acting chief medical officer of health for Niagara Region, said he thought Niagara could see some of its vaccines diverted to other COVID-19 hotspots. However, this week he

More people following lockdown orders, region’s data shows

Niagara’s chief medical officer says more people are starting to avoid non-essential travel and are staying home. While people had been going out more than they did in the first and second wave

HOLD HOLD HOLD: Editorial: Town shouldn’t leave out details

The town's administration should be careful with its messaging to residents. In recent weeks the town's messaging has left out a few important details when announcing things to the public. And while they may be legitimately

Province shouldnt open until 75 per cent of people vaccinated, says Hirji

The province should not start to lift COVID restrictions until at least 75 per cent of residents are vaccinated, says Niagara’s chief medical officer of health. Dr. Mustafa Hirji says data shows if the

Editorial: Newcomers are proud to be NOTLers

From the beginning of The Lake Report, three years ago next week, one of our goals was to begin to bridge the gap between longtime Niagara-on-the-Lake residents and newcomers. In our front-page editorial in

Suspected racer crashes into Queen Street home

A car struck a house on Queen Street on Saturday, but police haven't said how it happened. A Lake Report reader emailed about the incident, saying they believed the incident was racing related. The

NOTL voted most ‘beautiful and sustainable’ events destination by industry group

Niagara-on-the-Lake was voted Canada's most beautiful and sustainable destination for events during a virtual Earth Day event hosted by the Sustainable Events Forum. NOTL chief administrative officer Marnie Cluckie called it “a spectacular surprise and honour. Niagara-on-the-Lake had

Vaccines could be diverted from Niagara again, Hirji says

Some of Niagara's vaccine supply could be diverted to other regions considered to be COVID hotspots, warns Niagara’s chief medical officer Dr. Mustafa Hirji. Modelling predicts that shifting vaccine distribution to focus more on hotspots

NOTL launches kindness campaign to lift spirits during pandemic

The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has kicked off a new project to try to spread some joy during increasingly more challenging lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Shine and light, spread kindness” campaign asks

Bylaw officers harassed for enforcing restrictions

Niagara-on-the-Lake bylaw officers are getting slammed by people who are fed up with COVID-19 restrictions, town officials say. People were swearing, yelling “and even spitting” at bylaw officers during the weekend as they tried to enforce

Town has issued three COVID enforcement tickets in April

Some Airbnbs accepting reservations despite lockdown The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has given out three COVID-related tickets in April, the “busiest month” since last spring for enforcement, says the town's chief administrative officer Marnie Cluckie.

Anti-lockdown folks won’t talk about it

Amid protests in some communities, in mainly rural areas in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a small minority of people have been putting up signs challenging the province’s COVID-19 lockdowns. The signs contain messages like “No more lockdowns” and “#Justsayno.” However,

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