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: Royal Oak’s success is all about where it lives in NOTL

"Niagara-on-the-Lake is a growing and dynamic community, with more families choosing to call it home. Ensuring that children have access to meaningful, local education is vital to sustaining that growth," writes Krista Hill.

Letter: Why not let tourists use Fort George’s parking lot?

"Though I am not paid by the tax-payers to confront these urgent issues, I wondered if the Fort George parking lot could be better utilized to deal with the twin big dilemmas of where tourists could park and pee," writes Rick Monette.

Letter: Old hospital parking lot would be empty outside tourist season

"I think it's time that city hall considers the residents who actually live here and pay taxes, to have something that would benefit them for a change," writes Kenneth C. O'Malley.

Letter: Let the old hospital maintain its purpose: helping the sick

"Let's use the old hospital as a residence for the people who are unwanted in modern hospital care," writes Cynthia Rand.

Letter: Misquotes and half-truths in Turner’s take on Shaw

"To call the executive director of the Shaw Festival 'the dude in charge' is extremely rude, and the fact that the editor or publisher allowed this to be printed says much about the paper itself," writes Peter Barwell.

Letter: The future of bottle recycling post-Beer Store

"It seemed that the Beer Store could always negotiate their way into continuing their monopoly and thus their existence. Things have changed," writes Jackie Bonic.

Opinion: NOTL needs wide range of seniors housing options

"Among areas of consensus, there are some important 'universals' shared by virtually all NOTL seniors. It is clear, for instance, that the large majority share a desire to age in their current community and, ideally, within their current neighbourhood," writes Michael Ennamorato.

Letter: NOTL ‘in the parking business’ sad reflection of our times

"I have no doubt that our hard-working councillors are concerned about raising revenues. But really — a parking lot at a historic gateway site, where caring and community have always been at the heart?" writes Robin Cardozo.

Opinion: Don’t it always seem to go? NOTL’s parking lot push

"Will NOTL’s council ever be ready to consider other options for this public property? Based on what we’ve seen so far, you don’t what you’ve got till it’s gone," writes David Israelson.

The Turner Report: A town where you don’t ask questions

"Is this still an artistic enterprise worthy of oodles of tax money, the sympathy of donors and exemption from all heritage rules? Or, has it become a non-tax-paying corporation heavy into real estate development?" writes Garth Turner.

Arch-i-text: What our buildings are saying — and why it matters

"If you go for a walk in your neighbourhood, look at the houses — what you’ll see on the streetscapes will begin to communicate its architectural language," writes Brian Marshall.

Dr. Brown: The nature of consciousness — and what it means for AI

"These days, the nature of consciousness is hotly debated by several competing groups, with no consensus or clarity emerging in the debates between them," writes Dr. William Brown.

Ross’s Ramblings: Les Quizerables triumph at trivia night — and prove teamwork wins

"A subtle aspect of planning a trivia night is selecting questions that are challenging, but not too challenging. We paying participants don’t need to be reminded how dumb we are," writes Ross Robinson.

Letter: Don’t mischaracterize non-profits like the Shaw

"Mr. Turner is right. The viability of non-profit organizations 'hangs off the largesse of donors and governments.' It always has. This is what makes working and volunteering in the non-profit organization sector so challenging," writes Carolyn Bodnar-Evans.

Letter: Why create more red tape for NOTL businesses?

"Niagara-on-the-Lake’s strength comes from its business community. Adding cost and complexity at the municipal level risks discouraging investment and weakening that foundation," writes Scott Gauld.

Letter: No good governance in move to cut councillors

"Where is the evidence-based-outcome driven benefit of reducing council to six from eight? How is springing a change like this on the citizens of Niagara-on-the-Lake with no opportunity for discussion or study 'good governance'?" writes Bob Bader.

Letter: Why not turn hospital into residences for the elderly?

"The use of the hospital site must not be a parking project. We must have more common sense than that," writes Cecilia Bennett.

Letter: Let’s reconsider plans for the Royal George

"I'm sure that no one thinks that it should be the taxpayers' responsibility to build a parking garage for anyone, including the Shaw theatre, especially when other more acceptable uses were being privately funded," writes Wayne Murray.

Letter: Build a NOTL fit for young families

"We talk a lot in NOTL about attracting young families to the area, and yet we have no public school, no hospital and few spaces for families to gather, outside the community centre," writes Brendan McLeod.

Opinion: Changes to freedom of information laws threat to democracy

"Do you think that people in Niagara should have less ability to find out what the government is doing on these files behind closed doors? I certainly don’t," writes Wayne Gates.

The Turner Report: The little troop that became Shaw Inc.

"Given the level of public support, it would be good to know more about how this web of interests is being run. Is it sustainable? What happens in an economic downturn, with a half-built theatre complex?" writes Garth Turner.

Arch-i-text: Navigating the new heritage conservation plan, pt. 3

"If you plan to do any work on your contributing property, that undertaking should be informed by the building’s architectural style to ensure that any alterations are compatible and in-keeping with its contributing attributes," writes Brian Marshall.

Dr. Brown: The makings of my column: Curiosity, research and discovery

"Driving everything in my quest for understanding nature have been recuring themes for me," writes Dr. William Brown, citing the universe, human evolution, the rise of AI and more.

Opinion: Bob Gale’s record, not his books, are why it’s good he’s gone

"The irony is that Gale’s resignation leaves Niagara Region better off, but not for the reasons he resigned. These reasons relate to his job, not his peccadillos," writes David Israelson.

The Turner Report: Barbarians at the gate, NOTL style

"Is this bureaucratic overreach? Abject stupidity? Or a clumsy attempt to tamp down the grassroots rebellion? Let’s see where that vote lands," writes Garth Turner.

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