Richard Harley, Author at Niagara Now

Status of Icewine Festival in limbo

The status of this year's Icewine Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake is yet to be determined, amid ongoing health concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “But I can tell you, it is not looking good,” said

NOTL bands together for COVID Halloween

About 700 kids in Niagara-on-the-Lake will have no shortage of Halloween goodies this year. The Town of NOTL, with the help of resident Maria Mavridis, the NOTL Public Library and a slew of area businesses, will be

NOTL repeals mask bylaw, will use provincial law

Niagara-on-the-Lake council has repealed its mandatory mask bylaw and will follow the province's mask restrictions instead. The motion to repeal was made Wednesday evening by Coun. Wendy Cheropita during a special council meeting. There was chatter

Lions pies raise money for youth sports

If you got a Thanksgiving pie from the Niagara Lions Club, you got a little bit of love from across the community. The fruit was donated by farmers, the sugar was donated by

Bi-weekly garbage pickup starts next week

Niagara-on-the-Lake's new alternate-week garbage collection schedule starts Oct. 19. The change, along with new collection contractor Miller Waste, means homes in NOTL will only be able to put two garbage bags out every

Christmas parade cancelled, committee exploring other options

Santa Claus is not coming to town this year – Niagara-on-the-Lake's traditional Christmas parade has been cancelled. Bob Cheriton, spokesperson for the parade committee, said it was a tough decision, but a necessary one given

Editorial: At least the grapes look great in 2020

It’s the time of year in Niagara-on-the-Lake when we see grapes almost fully matured on the vine — and they look fantastic, picture-perfect this year. But they don’t just make for good photo ops.

Old Town residents worry condo plan sets ‘dangerous precedent’

A long list of neighbours on Johnson Street are concerned about the precedent that could be set in Niagara-on-the-Lake’s historic district if the town is approves a request for rezoning of 129 Johnson St. The

CAO recruitment rocked by resignations, but hiring search continues

The continuing search for a new chief administrator for Niagara-on-the-Lake is not being subjected to any outside or third-party influences, Lord Mayor Betty Disero says. Two councillors have resigned from the CAO search committee and one,

Lakeshore bridge to close for maintenance

The Lakeshore bridge on the Welland Canal will be closed for a week starting Oct. 19 for maintenance work to replace the waterproofing system on the fixed span concrete deck — the portion of the

Music Niagara wraps up season with final two broadcasts

As Music Niagara's summer concert season comes to a close, artistic director Atis Bankas is looking back fondly, and looking forward to shows in the fall and winter. Even though the summer season forced cancellation of

Winning artists announced for hydro box beautification project

Two artists from Niagara-on-the-Lake and one from St. Catharines artist have been selected as the winners of this year's hydro box beautification project. The competition, held by the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara-on-the-Lake Hydro, the Niagara Pumphouse Arts

Zalepa, Disero support Niagara Region decision to extend mask bylaw to April 2021

The Region of Niagara has extended its mandatory mask bylaw until April 1, 2021. The extension, approved on Sept. 17 by a 25 to 5 vote, is unchanged other than the expiration date. Businesses may simply leave the signage

Editorial: Kudos to our elected officials

Wow, our town councillors have spent a lot of time in meetings. A staff report to councillors says they spent more than 249 hours in meetings since December 2018, more than twice as long as some other

Canopy Growth donates $40K to heritage trail expansion

Canopy Growth has made a $40,000 donation toward development of the town’s Upper Canada Heritage Trail. A cheque was formally presented during a small ceremony at the trail on Wednesday. The trail rejuvenation fits with the

Council debates ways to streamline lengthy meetings

Niagara-on-the-Lake town council will be sticking to its regular schedule for 2021, despite suggestions from town staff to help streamline meetings. During the committee of the whole meeting Sept. 21, a staff report was

NOTL hairdresser retiring after 25 stylish years

He might have cut your hair, or your mother's — or perhaps even your grandmother's. Fernando Spadafora, of Fernando's Hair Salon, has been cutting and styling hair in Niagara-on-the-Lake for more than 25 years

Study examines effect of medical cannabis on seniors

Canopy Growth is looking to see if medical cannabis can benefit seniors living in long-term care homes. The project, which is studying 500 residents in 21 long-term care facilities across Ontario, began in October 2019.

Canopy Growth donates iPads to Upper Canada Lodge

Canopy Growth, which operates Tweed in Niagara-on-the-Lake, has donated two iPads to Upper Canada Lodge. The cannabis company donated a total of 57 iPads to 21 long-term care homes across the province, to help

Golf tournament supports Newark Neighbours

A neighbourhood golf tournament and picnic has raised $500 for Newark Neighbours' annual food drive. Roman Mamalyga, who helped organize the Sept. 13 tournament for the St. Andrew's Glen community, said when he

Injured kitten recovering thanks to Good Samaritan

A young kitten is recovering after being found injured on the side of the road. The cat, only about seven weeks old and weighing just two pounds, was found on Lakeshore Road on by

Editorial: Virgil Business Association deserves a big thank you for park vision

It’s been a long road, but year after year, Centennial Sports Park in Virgil keeps getting better and better. The continued improvements are largely the result of the Virgil Business Association, which has

Editorial: Parents, please make sure kids wear helmets

For the safety of all the kids using the new skatepark, parents should ensure their kids are wearing helmets when they go out to skate, bike or ride a scooter. To state the obvious,

Carriage operator wants residents to support farm animal protection bill

Laura Sentineal wants residents to make it clear to the provincial government that horse carriages should be protected under Ontario's Bill 156. For the last year, she's been involved with various levels of government

Sunday services resume at Redbrick Church, many other NOTL churches to resume service soon

Sunday services have resumed at Niagara United Mennonite's Redbrick Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake and lead pastor Daniel Janzen said it's been going well so far. The church has put strict COVID procedures in place since

Author's Latest