"Add it up: The airport. The bridge. The bag money being thrown around. The unwarranted edifices like Parliament Oak or the Rand Ritz-Carlton ... Goettler sees a plot," writes Garth Turner.
"As a collective, we fall into the rut of repeating the past simply because it is familiar and comfortable. But, then there are those who step out and create new and wonderful alternatives," writes Brian Marshall.
A fascination that likely began when humans first created shadow images on caves in ancient times, puppets have survived millenniums as a storytelling device popular around the world, writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
"The Undercovers entertained us with their rich harmonies and signature style, but the value added was the education. So many facts provided in their soulful storytelling," writes Ross Robinson.
"It will take a long time for engineers to create a robot capable of playing a musical instrument ... Just don’t expect a robot to play tennis anytime soon," writes Dr. William Brown.
"I totally climbed aboard the (Victoria) Mboko bandwagon, cheering for this wonderful tennis player with a positive on-court personality," writes Ross Robinson.
"Whether planted in garden beds or containers, they can lose energy and appear tired or leggy — especially during hot, dry weather," writes Joanne Young.
"By understanding how income on different investments gets taxed, you can enhance your after-tax yields by holding the more tax-advantaged investments outside of your RRSP and tax-free savings account," writes Steve McGuinness.
"We are all in awe when we walk down historic cities or villages in Europe, yet we are totally oblivious to the effort it has taken local communities and administrations to protect what they have," writes Lydia Madonia.
"The site is immediately beside the densest residential area in the Old Town and in a beautiful park, which has a steady stream of walking and biking visitors," writes Catherine Cornell.
"I, for one, appreciate that The Lake Report gives Garth a prime-position soapbox even though I thoroughly disagree with his assessment and conclusions," writes Doug Mepham.
"Residents living on our once quiet town streets, in homes neighbouring unhosted short-term rental sites, complain about irresponsible renting to unruly groups," writes Steve McGuinness.
"Telescope design, whether for space or land-based, manufacture, launch and maintenance, to say nothing of the scientists and engineers involved, are all very expensive," writes Dr. William Brown.
"Grasses can be used as focal points in the garden. Many of the tall or dramatically coloured grasses can be used to draw the eye and anchor garden beds," writes Joanne Young.
In a statement from the Niagara Foundation issued this week, it writes, "We recognize and value the Shaw Festival as a core cultural element and encourage it to be equally respectful of the heritage elements of this town, ensuring the Royal George 'fits' within our heritage district."
"Despite the absurdity of life and perhaps unreached dreams, our aspirations remain, and we can still find magic in the power of language and theatre," writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
In response to editor-in-chief Richard Harley's July 31 editorial, The Lake Report, writes Garth Turner, "embraces the size, the massing, the demolitions, the height, the truck bays, the big-box architecture, the gobbling-up of a residential street and the three or more years of construction chaos involved."
"In the event this report has not been completed — which would be odd given that we’re eight months into 2025 — the question then becomes why would staff be proceeding with this application in the absence of any form of validation of the applicant’s claims?" writes Brian Marshall.
"Clearly, council shouldn’t have approved such a colossal commercial development on a property surrounded on four sides by single-family houses on quiet, narrow laneways," writes Wayne Murray.
"The lord mayor appears to be refusing to provide the information and has instructed the new CAO to merely prepare a summary of the historical correspondence and to 'close the loop,'" writes Gienek Ksiazkiewicz.
"Robin is a respected festival director and tireless advocate whose efforts have made a meaningful cultural impact. Her support for the Shaw proposal stems from a sincere desire to see our town thrive," writes Kate Morris.
"The town asked for input on the revised official plan and as a respondent, the Chautauqua Residents Association (in my opinion) gets unfairly criticized," writes Brian Crow.
The old Royal George may need to tumble and be rebuilt, but Old Towner and Tiktoker Sally Basmajian says, “there are right ways of doing things and just egregiously wrong ways of doing things.”
"A major institution is doing things the right way — listening, adjusting, communicating and making real efforts to include the public in the process. That’s not lip service. That’s leadership," writes editor-in-chief Richard Harley.
