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.
"There are suddenly more reasons to talk about Mr. Hummel as he uses social media this week to eviscerate your reporter. Ad hominem arguments are always exciting. He does it well," writes Garth Turner.
"Transmissible prion is extremely stable and very hard to destroy with chemical disinfectants or heat — far more so than for the case of viruses and bacteria," writes Dr. William Brown.
"Life was tough and a never-ending challenge. Travelling on foot or on horseback or in wagons. Am I the only one who never thinks about this stuff? It was a long way to the West Coast, wasn’t it?" writes Ross Robinson.
The Stampede celebrated its 59th year this past weekend, and an organizer says focusing on families and adding more children's rides has eliminated most security problems the carnival had in the past.
Caregivers in NOTL say services meant to offer them reprieve while helping their elderly and sick loved ones are failing to provide the consistent care and stress relief they need.
"Boasts aside, the authoritarian holds only a single card — the joker’s trick of chaos and distraction. The real deck is large. Americans hold roughly 340 million cards," writes Keith McNenly.
"The arboreal genocide has been rethought. When the tree guys are finished and before the dozers move in, there will be 17 stumps instead of 41," writes Garth Turner.
"This proposal is another fail on multiple levels and is underwritten by the arrogance of applicants simply who want what they want, full stop," writes Brian Marshall.
"I don’t think any sport has changed as much as hockey during the past 60 or 70 years. Back in the day, most of the players came from Canada, so we could say with straight faces, 'Hockey: it’s our game,'" writes Ross Robinson.
"An accelerating expansion of the universe without any obvious cosmic brakes ... is a universe whose matter is so dispersed that stars can't form, with the result that the universe eventually goes dark and cold with no place for life," writes Dr. William Brown.
"Given what’s coming, our lord mayor will also be the sole and only rep at the senior level of government, Niagara Region. Kaiser already knows what that workload amounts to. Being mayor would be extra," writes Garth Turner.
"An intelligent man concerned with the welfare of this province’s citizens would come to very different decisions than what is currently occurring at Queen's Park," writes Brian Marshall.
"Polar bears, dolphins, lions, red vested bunny rabbits, caterpillars. And more," writes Ross Robinson. "The sky seems to be the limit as we bloom into the future."
"For many, it’s AI’s uncanny ability to talk naturally and build relationships with its human users that’s perhaps the most unnerving part, but also for many users, AI’s allure," writes Dr. William Brown.
Goettler, a longtime entrepreneur turned philanthropist who calls NOTL home, ran in the town's 2022 municipal election for lord mayor opposing the threat of Niagara's amalgamation as one of his key platform points.
Kaiser, who represents Niagara-on-the-Lake on regional council, is running for the town’s top elected job as it faces the possible loss of one of its two seats at the regional table.
Miller, a NOTL realtor who serves as president of the Chautauqua Residents Association, is positioning himself as a candidate focused on residents, quality of life, transparency and carefully managed growth.
"Niagara-on-the-Lake deserves a mayor fully invested in protecting this community, preserving its character and respecting the people who live here," writes Richard Harley.
The next lord mayor of Niagara-on-the-Lake, writes Garth Turner, "must not only rule a disparate, complex town ... but be the sole voice at the senior level where big tax, policy and service decisions are made."
"Bipedalism freed up the arms and especially the hands for other tasks such as tool-making, creating art and music, all of which was enabled and fostered by increasingly larger brains," writes Dr. William Brown.
"It was only a few decades ago that most parenting decisions were made by parents. Today, we seem to involve several levels of government, Moms and Dads, and people in between," writes Ross Robinson.
"Easing congestion wasn’t council’s main rationale for leaning toward a garage at 176 Wellington — money is. Council members either believe or were led to believe that parking will bring in piles of it," writes David Israelson.
"Authoritarian forces are aligning across borders, and the free world again needs coherent leadership. Canada’s message, in that context, has been clarity of purpose," writes Keith McNenly.
The Lake Report’s strong performance in the Ontario Community Newspapers Association’s awards continued last Friday as Niagara-on-the-Lake’s hometown news source again took home more top honours than any other publication in the province.
Augusta Van Muyen, vineyard manager at Tawse Winery in Vineland since 2021, knows her terroir. She's been named this year's Grape King: “I’m super honoured to represent the wine industry,” she says.
