Opinion

Opinion: Librarians are on frontlines in war on intellectual freedom

"Canadians have the right to access diverse ideas, literature and viewpoints without censorship, allowing libraries, schools, bookstores and readers to explore both popular and controversial works," write Susan Elliott and Dr. Robin Williams Foster.

The Turner Report: The voice from the big house

"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.

Dr. Brown: All diseases are spread by living organisms — except these ones

"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.

Ross’s Ramblings: The ‘good ol’ days’ are here, right now

"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.

Letter: Prepare for another parade in town

"We love a parade here. Even if it rolls over us and breaks our backs while it destroys our town," writes Rick Monette.

Letter: ‘NIMBYism’ vs. protecting our heritage

"It appears to this writer that Save Our Rand Estate is basically trying to preseve the historical and heritage assets that have been determined by experts to be located at the site, for the benefit of current and future generations," writes Derek Collins.

Letter: To preserve pickleball in NOTL, we need an indoor court

"In a Canadian climate, outdoor courts can only provide a seasonal solution. Play is limited to a relatively short portion of the year and is frequently interrupted by rain, wind, excessive heat and cold temperatures," writes Ron Pychel.

Letter: Despite past issues, TASC tulip farm are good neighbours

"Frank and Jill did a great job communicating with us, last year and this year, making changes to improve the traffic flow and eliminate congestion," write Bruce and Regina Robb.

Opinion: Ahead of the 250th Independence Day, who holds all the cards?

"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 Turner Report: Amid chaos, some lives are saved

"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.

Arch-i-text: Batter up, NOTL, for another battle over the Rand Estate

"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.

Ross’s Ramblings: Is it just me or has hockey changed quite a lot?

"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.

Dr. Brown: How fast is the universe expanding? Very fast

"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.

Letter: Kaiser and future conflict-of-interest problems

"Personally, I would be extremely disappointed to vote for someone whose stand on over-development aligned with my own, only to have them unable to exert their power because they are in the same business as the applicant," writes Sonja Kloss.

Letter: New Rand Estate hotel is just desserts for SORE

"This is an absolutely classic case on how to handle the insanity of the anonymous miserable people in this town; suffering fools gladly, a case study of sorts," writes Peter Rusin.

Letter: Columnist makes assumptions about Andrea Kaiser’s intentions

"Mr. Turner suggested that while others run for a cause or a crusade, Andrea is running because she craves power and wants to raise her public profile. This could not be further from the truth," writes Cindy I'Anson.

Letter: Teardown of the Chapman House is a mistake

"Considering the terrible things that have been allowed to happen recently and are threatening again in the Old Town, this would be a good time to say that’s enough," writes Wayne Murray.

The Turner Report: The next ambition of Andrea Kaiser

"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.

Arch-i-text: Autocracy has found a home in Ontario under Ford

"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.

Ross’s Ramblings: NOTL flower fest is what our town is all about

"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."

Dr. Brown: Richard Dawkins believes AI may be conscious. Is it?

"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.

Letter: Schools are part of real towns

"If the town continues to tear down buildings for tourism and build parking lots in place of schools, it removes the scenery and voices of school kids entirely from its streets," writes Aspen Ziraldo.

Letter: Community spaces foster a sense of belonging

"Many small arts spaces operate with a level of uncertainty, and finding suitable, properly equipped and affordable space is increasingly difficult," writes Valérie Bélisle.

Editorial: Zalepa’s re-election message boils down to ‘meh, maybe’ — and that says everything

"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 Turner Report: NOTL vs. the machine

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."

Dr. Brown: How humanity came to stand on its own two feet

"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.

Ross’s Ramblings: In the past, life for children was simpler, but also stricter

"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.

Opinion: NOTL’s potential parking money pit

"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.

Opinion: In Canada and the U.S., a leader’s character is foundational

"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.

Letter: Lord mayor has nothing to brag about from past four years

"The culture you are so proud of includes much less citizen participation on committees and fewer public consultation bodies with a much expanded administrative staffing cost," writes Bob Bader.

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