"A&M are pumping their latest project. It’s a whopper. If the sisters get their way with local politicians (once again), the old Rand Estate will turn into a five-storey, 111-room luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel," writes Garth Turner.
"Should any future council enact an interim control bylaw, underwritten by a duly compliant study, it will be largely legally unassailable," writes Brian Marshall.
"Niagara-on-the-Lake should not be treated as an extension of a 'Vegas North' casino economy. We are not a desert entertainment strip," writes Keith McNenly.
"I have heard that during his 26 years as mayor, Henry Paffard advocated for the planting of over 1,000 trees. By any measure, that’s a lot of limbs and leaves and shade and oxygen. And with trees come squirrels," writes Ross Robinson.
"Regardless of differences of opinion over development projects, I recognize that public discourse should be conducted respectfully and without casting aspersions on others," writes Stewart Hall.
"The submissions from developers may have met planning department requisites but have ignored the residents' concerns and the very reason NOTL is a preferred area to live, not just visit and buy an ice cream and leave the garbage for taxpayers to clean up," writes Jean O'Malley.
"Like the human brain, AI acquires large databases (sets for AI), which cover a broad range of subjects sequestered in different sets. The issue is: how does AI choose from among different sets of data to better focus and solve the problem or question at hand?" writes Dr. Brown.
"Perhaps the anger vocalized by those who protested this week can now be channelled into something positive in working with the town and council toward a better future. Or perhaps the breach between the two solitudes is just too wide," writes Kevin MacLean.
"I find it difficult to comprehend the 180-degree reversal of four of our councillors’ and lord mayor’s election platforms. At the time, they sounded so sincere and convincing," writes Luba Fraser.
"Rates have now dropped twice, with two more chops likely in 2024. In NOTL the market, like the weather, has been uncomfortably sticky," writes Garth Turner
"Sign up for a course and then seek to have your gratuitous grievances paraded. I simply don’t understand how somebody who occupies a property that once was a forest or an orchard or part of an Indigenous territory, can stand there proudly and cry foul," writes Peter Rusin.
"This high-energy white fur ball has always been in great shape — loved long walks, swimming and running These days, Heidi loves walking by the lake, which is where she can become like a puppy again," writes Raffaella Florio.
"I hope that when the courts finally open, the pickleball club relaxes its monopoly on the courts in prime morning times in favour of more public access," writes Mike Fox.
"Every year, growers are coming out with more and more varieties of hydrangeas," writes Joanne Young. "Just when you think that they can’t possibly come up with something different, they do."
"To paraphrase the writer and philosopher George Santayana: one can either learn from the past or be condemned to repeat it," writes Brian Marshall in comparing the decline of NOTL's commercial fishing industry to its present-day development interests.
"Connect the dots and look back; it seems Biden obvious was suffering from some form of dementia, which affected his memory, speech, thought processes and planning — made worse by the bad news piling up on his desk and pressure at home and abroad to look 'in command,'" writes Dr. William Brown.
"The nocebo effect refers to the occurrence of harmful effects from consciously or unconsciously anticipating symptoms, one example of which was the June bug incident of 1962," writes Dr. William Brown.
"How can any neurologist state unequivocally that someone is cognitively impaired without testing? This is especially true in Dr. Brown’s case because as a research scientist his results come from running tests," writes Prof. Merijean Morrissey from Brock University.
"I trust that this council will wake up, return to Earth and heed some of the excellent advice that gets reported in our weekly newspaper," writes Buddy Andres.
"One thing we learned from the Fort McMurray fire is that embers carried by strong winds can travel two to five kilometres before falling and maybe igniting," writes Tony Giordano.
"Our seniors appreciate their current independent way of life. They’re committed to NOTL. They want to stay here as they age. But the existing housing stock may not be sufficiently diverse to accommodate their age-related needs. And this tension will only increase in the coming years," writes Kevin MacLean.
"On this side of the river, we’ll have to deal with a situation new in our lifetimes. Religion, race, tribalism, patriotism and a battle between left and right make the coming presidential vote a rising risk to wealth," writes Garth Turner.
"Residents have loudly voiced their objections — supported by well researched documentation — while ill-conceived decisions, based on weak and creative wordsmithing are pushing the developments through," write Jim and Erika Alexander.
"The fact that Biden announced on July 21 he will not seek re-election is a relief for the U.S. and for him. That took courage but was the right decision given the trajectory of where his disease is headed in the next several years," writes Dr. William Brown.
"We cannot jeopardize what makes this town so unique with inappropriate development — and we must always hear the voices of residents before we move forward on big development projects," writes MPP Wayne Gates.
