Kevin MacLean, Author at Niagara Now

Editorial: Don’t come to NOTL for now

Please stay home. Don’t come to Niagara-on-the-Lake. We really want you to visit, just not now. Another time. Please. Those are the messages the Town of NOTL has been trying to get out to

Vintage Hotels tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested in Hong Kong

Billionaire accused of participating in pro-democray protests Jimmy Lai, the billionaire tycoon behind Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Vintage Hotels, has been arrested in Hong Kong, accused of participating in pro-democracy demonstrations last year. Lai, 71,

PHOTO: Keep calm, eh

Linda Anderson-Kozik has updated her front garden decor with a sign focused on the pandemic. The Queen Street garden always features a seasonal theme, whether it's Easter, Canada Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day

COVID-19: NOTL cracks down on tourists

'Stay away' is the key message. And bylaw officers will now ticket those violating provincial orders Stay away. That’s the succinct message Niagara-on-the-Lake wants tourists to hear as the town tries to

COVID-19: Shaw staff making masks and gowns

Some 30 wardrobe staff from the Shaw Festival are using their expertise to produce masks and gowns for health care workers. With the festival suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Shaw workers

Editorial: A town full of racists? No, but NOTL can do better

Kevin MacLean Managing Editor Sometimes the truth hurts. Or is uncomfortable. Or lays waste to our closely held beliefs. Or makes us angry. The Lake Report reported two weeks ago about instances in

COVID-19: Shaw waiting for share of $500M from Ottawa

Financially scraping by, week-to-week, festival hopes to return to stage in July The Shaw Festival is counting on the federal government’s promise of $500 million for the arts, culture and sports sectors to

NOTL man creates face shields for health care workers

From his workshop in NOTL, Rene Bertschi is using his high-tech 3-D printer to produce face shields for health care workers. “I just saw a need to help our community to protect us from this deadly

NOTL hockey star drafted to OHL’s Barrie Colts

Draft day was a memorable one for Tai York and 15 family members

Shaw Festival near financial ‘breaking point,’ CEO says

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the Shaw Festival to near the “breaking point” financially and the company has now cancelled all events until after June 30, says executive director and CEO Tim Jennings. “We continue to

Editorial: A message to the people of NOTL

We all know these are difficult times, for everyone. Staying safe and healthy are paramount. Here at The Lake Report, our skeleton crew, supplemented by input from loyal readers and a small army of regular

Editorial: Welcome, farm workers. And an opportunity for NOTL hotels

After days of confusion and mixed messages, the federal government finally announced late last week that seasonal farm workers would be allowed in to Canada to help our farmers and help ensure the

COVID-19: Shaw on hiatus, but holding virtual rehearsals

‘There’ll still be theatre. We’ll still be here, we’ll bounce back, but we want to make sure the community we serve bounces back, too,’ says artistic director Tim Carroll The show does, indeed,

COVID-19: NOTL makes plans for dealing with pandemic

Avoiding community spread key concern as town staff, leaders meet multiple times daily In the midst of a state of emergency, NOTL’s fire and emergency services department is working hard to make sure the

Editorial: Snowbirds: Stay in self-isolation!

Life for all of us has been turned upside down in the past few weeks. And the way we go about our lives is going to continue to change for the foreseeable future.

COVID-19: ‘Stuck’ in Bali and trying to get home to NOTL

Should I stay or should I go? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told Canadians travelling abroad that “it is time to come home.” But as many travellers are discovering, and writing about on

A season to remember: COVID-19 pandemic slams door on talented hockey teams dream year

One of the most talented and successful Niagara youth hockey teams in recent memory saw its season come to a crashing halt last week, thanks to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Editorial: It’s time to put others first

New expressions have found their way into the everyday lexicon in the past week or so. Social distancing. Flattening the curve. Self-isolating. And COVID-19. Yes, these are scary times for many people, especially

Editorial: Same stuff, different way

Organic garbage is wet, gross, smelly, it can ooze, attract unwanted rodents, make a mess – you get the picture. But that is precisely why it needs to go in your green bin, not your

Editorial: We need your support

The times they are a-changin’ and, perhaps, nowhere is that more obvious than the media industry. With news literally at our fingertips and with more options for obtaining information than ever before, we

Women lead the way for New Year’s golf outing

There’s a tradition at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club that every New Year’s Day some golf-crazed souls venture out onto the first tee and smack a ball up the fairway into the snow drifts

Editorial: Town needs to protect whistleblowers

In the digital information age, there are few secrets that don’t eventually find their way into the public realm. That’s usually because someone, somewhere knows the truth or knows when some sort of

Editorial: A new approach at NOTL fire department

Kevin MacLean Managing Editor When emergencies occur, whether it’s a fire, car crash, medical emergency or major tragedy, almost always the first to arrive on the scene is the fire department. Whether we

Maya takes fight for diabetes monitors to Queens Park

Eight-year-old Maya Webster took her fight for government-funded glucose monitors to Queen’s Park Wednesday. The Niagara-on-the-Lake youngster, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age two, met with Niagara Falls MPP Wayne

Author's Latest