At the final meetup of Niagara-on-the-Lake's mayoral candidates before the polls open on election day, Oct. 26, Erwin Wiens, Andrea Kaiser and Vaughn Goettler were divided on a variety of issues, including how a municipality is supposed to be run.
Early voting gave some Niagara-on-the-Lake residents peace of mind, while others saw it as an opportunity to make their voices heard ahead of election day.
The Lake Report asked more nominees for trustees what their top three priorities are, why they decided to run and what they would like to change or fix at the school board level.
The gloves came off on stage Thursday night when one Niagara-on-the-Lake council candidate accused two fellow candidates, both incumbents, of betraying residents over the Parliament Oak development.
At barely 14, NOTL's Kaige Zhu and Eli Perng already competed in tournaments far more intense and demanding than most recreational golfers will ever experience. But they're just getting started.
"Especially in our current world, seemingly so divided and torn over so many issues, it was gratifying to learn that love for the poppy is universal," writes Ross Robinson.
"NOTL is one of the few burgs in the nation allowing (and encouraging) the conversion of residential housing into 'unhosted' short-term rentals," writes Garth Turner.
"It is extraordinarily disingenuous for an individual or corporation to suggest that the 'progress' they seek — or achieve — automatically confers benefits upon the society or community they operate within," writes Brian Marshall.
"It is a cash grab, sure," writes Kevin MacLean of the speed camera program. "But so what? It’s a penalty earned for not obeying the law, in a school zone, amid warning signs."
"Here, many billions of years later, was evidence of the radiation created in the Big Bang, now cooled to a few degrees above zero Kelvin and stretched by the expanding universe into the microwave range — what became known as the cosmic background radiation," writes Dr. William Brown.
"Do our political party leaders think we believe they have a great big pot filled with money that they dip into to pay for their projects and programs?" writes Ross Robinson.
"Babe Ruth, among his many quoted phrases, said, 'It ain’t over till it’s over.'
That amazing team of Blue Jays players has proven what we already knew: it’s never over, we’re just occasionally between innings," writes Keith McNenly.
"Some people believe our little lovenest of a town is lurching toward surveillance, confinement and control. Look at the official, shiny new draft official plan, they say," writes Garth Turner.
"Businesses in sectors like oil and gas (and specifically producers of liquid natural gas) are especially favoured ... Sometimes the squeaky wheel attracts the grease," writes Steve McGuinness.
"Connecting with nature and connecting in nature both have solid benefits: little hands in sand and water and soil, bring the principles of science and math and literacy alive," write Dr. Robin Williams and Dr. Richa Agnihotri
"As I write this there are six (seriously, just six) rentals listed with realtors in the Old Town. The average rent being asked is $3,000 a month," writes Garth Turner.
"Growth and change in any town may be inevitable. However, those forces must be thoughtfully and consistently managed in order to preserve its unique character and cultural landscapes while evolving into a greater version of itself," writes Brian Marshall.
"Under the Canada Health Act, provinces are required to maintain universal health plans offering their residents medical coverage. The provinces receive significant social transfer amounts from the feds in return," writes Steve McGuinness.
"This is a very solid story of science at its best, expressed in the imagination and dogged persistence of the three laureates," writes Dr. William Brown, on this year's winners of the Nobel Prize in medicine and their discoveries concerning how the immune system is kept in check.
"Around NOTL, so many residents and visitors proudly wearing Blue Jays merchandise. People smiling and saying hello to strangers. In our world today, any positive news is welcome, and this World Series run is definitely good news," writes Ross Robinson.
"It’s telling that MacKay-Lyons, whose main body of work is unabashedly contemporary, adheres strictly to this sense of place as derived from understanding its existing (or historic) vernacular materials, building culture and forms," writes Brian Marshall.
"The NOTL rebels’ plan is to have candidates identified and in place well before the race. There may be a slate. There will certainly be public engagements — forums, Q&As, debates. There will be money, as well as passion," writes Garth Turner.
"The Nobel Prizes in the sciences began in 1901, and despite the emergence of a host of other worthy prizes in mathematics, engineering and recently the computer sciences, it remains the gold standard," writes Dr. William Brown.
"These core principles are neglected, ignored or improperly applied by far too many practicing architects and results in poor designs which, if constructed, assault the public's senses with inferior built architecture," writes Brian Marshall.
"Urbanites may not get this, but in much of Canada, the post office is Canada. The sole, identifiable, enduring and working link to the federal government. Once that is shuttered, the bond dies," writes Garth Turner.
The following column was written by the late Joanne Young, garden expert and coach, and was originally published in the Sept. 8, 2022 edition of The Lake Report.
"The lord mayor and some councillors defend this padding as prudent to redress a perceived infrastructure deficit. But what will these reserves actually be spent on?" writes Steve McGuinness.
"Even in State College on a very busy weekend, our driver didn’t once ask me for directions. It was out of character for me, but I just sat in the back seat with my mouth shut. He would just glance at his GPS screen and implicitly trust the computers," writes Ross Robinson.
