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.
"It sounds great to treat as early as possible, but the drug had better be not only effective, but safe and free from troublesome side effects in patients who are clinically well," writes Dr. William Brown.
Patriotism came with a message at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 124’s Canada Day celebration, where “Canada is not for sale” shirts, a new fixture in this year's national holiday, made a statement among the sea of red and white.
"The new Royal George will be a bigger, grander complex than the current one. It has to be, by law, but more importantly, it will offer far more to the communities it serves and most especially to our friends and neighbours here in Niagara," write Tim Carroll and Tim Jennings.
"It was no surprise that our main street sidewalks were full of people of all ages doing their best to eat their gelato treats and ice cream cones 'n cups before the heat wave cheated them," writes Ross Robinson.
"'Tons of Money' has a strong farcical plot, fine performances by a talented cast, stunning set and 1920s costume designs ... It simply needs to more cohesively come together," writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
"Building more of the same type of homes faster will do nothing but add to the current glut on the market of properties that a significant segment of our society simply cannot afford or, in other cases, do not want," writes Brian Marshall.
"By removing the flowers as soon as they are done, the plant produces more flowers to produce more seeds. So, deadheading produces more blooms," writes Joanne Young.
"In all, four heritage buildings will be offed. The iconic Queen streetscape will be forever altered, the 120-year-old Royal George erased, trees sacrificed and apparently you have nothing to say about it," writes Garth Turner.
"I support the Shaw’s overture for redevelopment of the Royal George. However, it must be done sympathetically, within context and not at the expense of the Part V heritage district," writes Brian Marshall.
"But as we move into early summer, we start to lose some of that magic of spring and need to add in some shrubs that will extend interest and colour into summer," writes Joanne Young.
Ross Robinson writes about watching game five of the finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers this past weekend at Butler's Sports Bar, and asks just how much love Canadians have for the sport — or, if some of them just follow the Leafs.
"Their bold foliage, which comes in a variety of greens, blues and golds, makes them ideal for creating structure and contrast in shade gardens," writes Joanne Young.
"It’s never a good thing when normally docile folks believe councillors are in the pockets of developers, that the town’s government is anti-family or that public matters are shielded from, well, the public. But here we are," writes Garth Turner.
"The window for successful treatment of neurodegenerative diseases is usually well before symptoms develop, and perhaps explains why treatments employed when the first symptoms develop may be too late to prevent progression of the disease," writes Dr. William Brown.
"Our residential real estate market continues to slump. Despite recent Bank of Canada interest rate drops, the days of cutthroat home bidding wars are well behind us," writes Steve McGuinness.
"Back on Queen Street this morning, I had a retired couple from the Cape Cod area arrive for my free walking tour," writes Ross Robinson, who "were absolutely effusive while telling me how beautiful our town is, with the many flowers and charming downtown."
"The town and the Shaw have grown together, welcoming first tens of thousands and then hundreds of thousands of patrons every year, helping this little corner of Ontario become one of the most cherished destinations in Canada," write Tim Jennings and Tim Caroll from the Shaw Festival.
"So the town has launched a race for business survival. Not only do we risk displacing people and houses with hotels and tourists, but life is a whole lot tougher — and more expensive — for the guys already in the hospitality biz," writes Garth Turner.
"Take responsibility for your actions: it might hurt financially, but the wisdom of obeying the speed limit near a school (whether kids are present or if it's late at night) seems like something right out of Driver Ed 101," writes Kevin MacLean.
The clear-cutting of a forest in Virgil this year to make way for development is "only a single, relatively small, local example of the potential devastation which could, and likely will, be visited upon the landscape of this province should the Ford government’s Bill 5 be passed into law," writes Brian Marshall.
Joanne Young covers topics such as when to prune early spring blooming shrubs, how often gardeners should fertilize their lawns and whether or not ants are responsibile for opening up peony buds.
Quiet and unassuming, Ted Carmichael is not one to broadcast his role in helping direct Canada's economy, but the advice he and his fellow economists provide is crucial to the central bank's decision-making — which literally can affect the lives of every Canadian.
"The scale, massing and, as mentioned earlier, the height of the proposed design are acceptable, particularly given the break-up of the building’s faces into smaller staggered elements," writes Brian Marshall.
