"Although this level of government has the greatest impact on citizens’ daily lives, it is weak, ineffectual, rudderless and dominated by special interests," writes Garth Turner.
Over the last five centuries, says Frank Lloyd Wright, what humanity has called architecture has been "phony": "It was not innate, it wasn’t organic and it didn’t have the character of nature.”
More than 40 years after the debut of this British farce on the Shaw Festival stage, "One for the Pot" returns with excellent performances that contain the elements needed to make this for-the-masses comedy a laugh riot, writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
"As a pretentious British boss of mine said many years ago ... 'I have found that around the world, one can get on with two languages: English, and loud English,'" writes Ross Robinson.
"I provided you with an opportunity to do the right thing, which you have obviously declined to do. Please be advised that I intend to pursue this in the appropriate forum(s)," writes Derek Collins.
"Did we learn the necessary lessons? Only two decades after the end of the First World War, the war to end all wars, we decided to do it all again. Young men who didn’t know each other fighting the wars for men who knew each other. Why?" writes Ross Robinson.
"After discussions with the Bereavement Authority of Ontario and with the support of town staff, we have developed an agreeable plan of action as an alternative to raising the headstones," writes George Webber.
"The council has told the region it does not want this roundabout, yet you continue to go against them and a significant number of the town's residents," writes Kip Voege.
"No one is suggesting that roundabouts do not have a place in our road infrastructure, but rather, installed only in selected intersections," writes Brian Marshall. "I submit that the centre of St. Davids is not one of these intersections."
"Using evergreen boughs and trees is one of the longest Christmas traditions. The year-round green foliage provides us with a sign of hope to carry us through the winter and into the new year," writes Joanne Young.
"Town council and staff: I strongly urge you to immediately accelerate the process of determining the future of this important town-owned site," writes Cindy Grant.
"Event planning takes talent and desire, but the per-person price can be very fair due to the shoulder season timing. The town’s business people win, and the visiting groups win," writes Ross Robinson about off-season corporate retreats.
Trisha Romance's decision to support the NOTL Public Library, "reflects a deep understanding of legacy — the belief that what we nurture today helps build the future we all share," writes Katie Desharnais.
"It always amazes me how something like the vineyards and orchards can change so drastically from season to season, each season just as beautiful as the next. It reminds me that we all go through different seasons in life," writes Joanne Young.
In this week's column from Dr. Brown, he traces the evolution of computer technology's use in the field of scientific research, from its earlier, more elementary uses in the late 20th century, to the unfolding possibilities of today's AI machine learning.
"We have legal mechanisms to address differing views and even when those mechanisms fail an individual, it shouldn’t be assumed that a decision is careless or circumventing," writes Mark Smith.
"It’s obvious to me that the majority of our councillors do not care about the well-being of NOTL citizens. More and more, tourists are their primary, secondary and tertiary goals," writes Linda Sauro.
"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.
