"So, what direction will NOTL voters choose? That’s impossible to predict but what we do know is it has never been easier to exercise your democratic franchise," writes Kevin MacLean.
"At the end of the day, we need someone who can get Ford to respect us until we can try again to vote him out. The question, I guess, becomes, what’s the best strategy?" writes Richard Harley.
"If we elect the same people (and most are reoffering) we’ll get the same result. More hotels. More bending over for tourism. More construction. More old buildings razed. More density. More compromise. More loss," writes Garth Turner.
"If you are one of the approximately 191,000 Niagara residents that live outside the boundaries of the three large cities, you have just been marginalized as a perpetual member of the minority," writes Brian Marshall.
"He had the large sculpture placed in front of the Prince of Wales Hotel, but local leaders didn’t think it belonged at the corner of King and Queen streets. Much controversy ensued and Gerry the Giraffe was soon turfed," writes Ross Robinson.
"The Meritorious Service Medal (civil division) is one of Canada’s most prestigious awards and deservingly granted to Steffanie for her work over many years in serving our community through Red Roof Retreat," writes Peter Warrack.
Tiger Woods has carded 20 holes-in-one. There have only been 34 in Masters history. President Joe Biden has had 14, and with a straight face, Donald Trump claims 16 — many while wearing a red MAGA golf cap.
"I suspect that Ron Fritz’s excellent letter about the town needing to pick and choose its legal battles likely reflects the opinion of the majority of Niagara-on-the-Lake residents who are fed up with unsustainable property tax increases year after year," writes Jonathan Household.
Studies have repeatedly shown that as many as one-third of patients suffering from pain see noticeable improvement thanks to placebos, a measure of effectiveness rivalling or surpassing the effectiveness of many pain medications, including over-the-counter drugs and opioids for painful disorders such as headache and lower back pain.
"The decisions to approve are contrary to the official plan, contrary to much-needed guidance of contextual zoning, will change the living experience of immediate residents as well as others and also are contrary to the election promises that the majority of the five made," writes Terry Mactaggart.
"Groups who follow a common lineage and share a NIMBY attitude —and were formerly known locally as Citizens Against Virtually Everything (CAVE) — have a short memory," writes Bonita Cawker.
"It would be interesting to know how many offshore workers there are in Niagara and to ask each one whether they want to have permanent residency," writes Susan Pohorly.
Part of us hopes a lot of Canadian kids have been watching the Copa America and Euro Cup soccer tournaments to witness how the so-called beautiful game can be played.
We naively thought, hoped, wished that last summer’s collective civic embarrassment when the new rainbow crosswalk was repeatedly vandalized might have inspired greater tolerance in some pockets of Canada’s “prettiest little town.”
"Unfortunately, when it comes to development issues, our town staff are either temporary or have occupied their positions for a short period of time," writes Elizabeth Masson.
"I am certain the summer of 2024 is going to be a classic, one for the memory books. So many problems in the world, political, financial, and just plain not good. But here we are, on a parking-lot-like crowded main street," writes Ross Robinson.
Sure, it’s a nice place. Most folks would be happy living in the coach house. But is it $4.5 million nice? The latest listing on my Old Town street (one block from the flip now on sale at $3.9 million) is part of a larger local story.
"Will the ever-expanding AI universe create a society not unlike drones, unable to draw on our own accumulated experience and intelligence to think critically?" writes Don Mustill.
"The citizens of NOTL are uniformly educated, intelligent, informed and realistic," writes columnist Brian Marshall, commenting on letters to the editor sent to The Lake Report this year about contentious development plans in story for Niagara-on-the-Lake.
"Our former chief librarian chose to accept a generous severance package and is now enjoying an early retirement. Property owners have borne and paid the cost of her choices," writes Steve McGuinness.
"Not to ignore our lovely green spaces and charming wineries, but compared to the Loire Valley, Australia or New Zealand, we come up a wee bit short," writes Lauren O'Malley.
"I had no idea what a five-star hotel entailed and I suspect none of those who support the Parliament Oak plan and threw that phrase out did either," writes Gail Benjafield.
"NOTL is resilient and has gone through many transformations since 1812 and will continue to thrive and prosper regardless of the current and future changes," writes Tony Giordano.
"As it is, the health-care system is overloaded. Physicians and patients alike are frustrated with long waiting periods to see physicians and nurse practitioners. For now, health-care organizations such as the Harvard system, see ChatGPT as a partner for physicians — but how long will that partnership be complementary and equal?" writes Dr. William Brown.
"When truth is clearly evident, it speaks for itself." Agatha Christie, the world's best-selling novelist and Queen of Crime, leads us to seek the truth in a noir genre courtroom drama of justice, dislocation, love and betrayal.
The Canada Day festivities around town, as always, again this year were a tremendous community gathering — but at Simcoe Park, there was one big problem.
"As a Canadian citizen, a voter and a community organizer living in Niagara, I strongly support permanent resident status for undocumented people, also referred to as comprehensive regularization," writes Kit Andres.
"How often have you heard or read that the role of town councillors and staff is to defend the town's official plan against those seeking to deviate from it?" writes Ron Fritz from Queenston.
"The comments by Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa and Coun. Maria Mavridis to counter the criticism by resident Bob Bader (published in a story June 20 headlined, "Mayor and councillor push back against hotel criticism") are not at all convincing," writes Derek Collins.
To anyone who reads this publication, it isn’t news that the majority of our council — in approving the rezoning of the Parliament Oak property to allow for the construction of a contextually inappropriate hotel — continued its practice of wielding a machete on the fabric, character and cultural heritage landscapes of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
