"Without hard boundaries including progressive taxation and dissolution of monopolies, oligarchy will continue to deconstruct society until elections, law, and truth become historical artifacts," writes Keith McNenly.
"The economy has flatlined. Trump’s war went badly. Inflation is back, so interest rates won’t be falling ... But people still want houses. And, of course, everyone wants to live here," writes Garth Turner.
"Any correctly thinking council — one that represents the good of the town and its residents as opposed to commercial real estate investors — would support proper controls and a cap on the short-term rental market," writes Brian Marshall.
"The relatively sudden demise of a once-accepted part of our lives, almost instantly replaced by handheld devices that mostly pass the time in our pockets," writes Ross Robinson.
"The only possible way of a return to democracy by this council, as seen by this writer, would be for Mr. Niven to now decline the position offered, even though he has accepted, in the face of obvious public outrage," writes Derek Collins.
"Residents only want a community that mirrors the other four settlement areas that make up Niagara-on-the-Lake. Is this too much to ask for?" writes Steve Hardaker.
"If NOTL doesn’t defend itself and developers are allowed to do whatever they want, what is the cost to the community in terms of quality of life and property values?" writes Stewart Hall.
"We applaud library board and staff members who uphold the principles of neutrality, viewpoint diversity, free speech and intellectual freedom," writes FAIR in Libraries.
"Here in Niagara-on-the-Lake, I suggest that one of the primary 'benefits' is the character and heritage of the town that we have inherited. And, when a part of that inheritance is threatened, I argue that our elected officials are obligated to fight for its preservation," writes Brian Marshall.
Why did Tony Caldwell pay $200,000 more than asking for an uninhabitable and vacant pile that cleaners refused to enter without hazmat gear? Garth Turner speaks with the man who just bought the "mould house" in Old Town about his plans to preserve this heritage home.
"The greed, fear and lack of moral character of some oligarchs having hundreds of billions in wealth, have direct consequences on the freedoms the rest of us enjoy," Keith McNenly writes.
"As a member of an election team that spent long hours, walking endless miles, at no small cost, to reach out to the NOTL electorate only to have the practice tossed away as irrelevant ... I find (that) infuriating and disheartening to say the least," writes Carol Williams.
"There can be no good excuse for not reading books here in our Niagara," writes Ross Robinson, beginning this week's Ross' Ramblings with a shout-out to Old Niagara Bookshop on Regent Street.
"The lord mayor just missed a golden opportunity to change the tone and build trust," writes Paul Kirkconnell, following up his Aug. 8 letter about the municipality's response to the July protest held outside NOTL town hall.
"By not following the precedent established by previous councils ... (council) has, in my view, turned away from democracy and fairness. And, it has yet to justify or explain the rationale for its decision," writes Terry Davis.
"Why was this done in-camera? What criteria did council use to select Andrew Niven? Where is the transparency? Why does council seem to not listen to voters opinions?" writes Sandra Hardy.
"Of the numerous benefits offered by mature trees, the one most valued by me is the mental and spiritual well-being that I experience when in the presence of these silent members of our community," writes Win Laar.
"In my book, this tribunal decision must count as a 'win' and flies in the face of an often-repeated suggestion voiced by certain members of the town council that costs associated with going before the tribunal are a waste of money because we’re going to lose," writes Brian Marshall.
"Nobel committees don’t always get things right, but this time they made a spectacular, if controversial, choice," writes Dr. Brown of this fall's Nobel Prize wins in physics and chemistry.
Besides knowing they are good for pies and carving for Halloween, how are you with pumpkin trivia? Joanne Young shares a bounty of fun facts about the fall-time gourd and how it became a part of celebrating spooky season.
"If everyone is given permission to remove their mature native trees with such carelessness, then we will continue to see a decline in Niagara’s limited canopies," writes Sean Parkinson.
"In the last 90 days, virtually nothing sold for more than $1.5 million. The average house takes over 100 days to get an offer — and six in ten are conditional on the buyer being able to sell," writes Garth Turner.
"The formation of stars, galaxies and the natural elements combines the dominant themes of physics in the first half of the 20th century: General relativity ... and quantum physics," writes Dr. William Brown.
"I have argued for several years that weeknight Halloween is unduly stressful for parents, grandparents and school teachers. And oh yes, young children and students too," writes Ross Robinson.
