"We have no shortage of issues that will affect our futures, but may I humbly and respectfully request that we all take a few deep breaths?" writes Ross Robinson.
"Metered parking is enforced for 3,340 hours a year, meaning the annual maximum revenue is $18,370 per space at full utilization," writes Steve McGuinness.
"Depending on the version, ChatGPT was trained on millions to trillions of times more data than was used in this simple model. That’s where ChatGPT gets its information and power," writes Dr. William Brown.
"Here in Niagara-on-the-Lake, apparently aided and abetted by several of our elected 'representatives,' this narrative has been successfully played out again and again over the term of the current council," writes Brian Marshall.
"People respond with anger, aggression and the need to lash out when they’re insecure and under threat. Not by an old dude with a dodgy leg, but by circumstances," writes Garth Turner.
"Understanding the recently regularly mentioned notwithstanding clause had never been a priority in my life," writes Ross Robinson. "It's pretty dry stuff."
"This is the Old Town’s new signature gateway project. And some people wonder what the heck went wrong with our planning process. How did we turn into Mississauga?" writes Garth Turner.
"As citizens, we have only two formal venues through which we can express our opinion. The first is our vote, once every four years. The second is through our voice," writes Brian Marshall.
"These days, China is imitating what worked in the West for success in business and science by instituting major changes to its political and managerial system to create the right combination of atmosphere, encouragement and support to develop science within China," writes Dr. William Brown.
"If you own any foreign property you’re considering selling, you may want to eavesdrop on my advice to Maggie," writes Steve McGuinness, sharing some insight into the various taxes sellers of foreign property have to look forward to — namely, Canadians with a home south of the border.
"Increasingly, awards are evolving and while the Nobel Prizes remain at the top for now, the number of high-calibre competing awards by other institutions is increasing," writes Dr. William Brown.
"Life in our small town was great, and the Terry Fox participants and volunteers were sharing the love. Raising the money to 'Finish It,'" writes Ross Robinson.
"Bluntly, the solutions here are many and varied — all a matter of sympathetic architectural design with delicate treatment of form, massing, scale and materiality, focused on blending in versus standing out," writes Brian Marshall.
"I have concluded that the design principle underlying all of them is to frustrate customers so thoroughly that we hang up, abandoning all service attempts, forever and ever, amen," writes Steve McGuiness.
"Far too often a ghost facade prioritizes a superficial appearance over functional reality," writes Brian Marshall of the new proposal for the Royal George Theatre.
"There is always something special about sitting out in the garden in the evening watching the glittering lights on the surface of the water," writes Joanne Young.
"The story of human evolution is important too because without modern humans, there would be no science and no one to understand what was happening in the universe — the universe would unfold without a witness," writes Dr. William Brown.
On the rebuilding and reopening of the new Royal George Theatre, Ross Robinson writes, "Please don’t say 2029 and then take a year or two or three longer ... The pain to local businesses and residents will be unbearable. To everyone involved."
In the past, Queen’s Royal, home to the town’s famous gazebo, has often been declared unsafe, so this year The Lake Report obtained and analyzed water test data gathered by Niagara Region staff to determine how good — or bad — the situation was.
"A hole 23 feet deep is no backyard swimming pool. It will consume a good chunk of the Parliament Oak site, rising toward King Street as it transitions from parking garage to hotel foundation and car ramp," writes Garth Turner.
"Their shared dreams rise and fall, worn down by circumstances caused by a multitude of factors. These include the onset of the Great Depression, economic uncertainty, job losses and racism," writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
From turtleheads and asters to Joe Pye weeds and toad lilies, these fall-blooming flowers can be added to your garden to keep the beauty and interest going even as the summer season comes to an end.
"The driving presumption is that more frequent in-person interaction between team members will lead to better coordination and cohesion. But it could just as easily lead to more downtime spent socializing with distracted co-workers around the water cooler," writes Steve McGuinness.
