"The 2018-2022 NOTL council consistently strove to protect the natural and built heritage of Old Town, from our tree canopy and green spaces to our historic buildings and streetscapes," writes Terry Davis.
"Now, upon seeing how the United States treats countries such as Venezuela when it plainly desires its resources, there can be little doubt that Canada might be an additional target on Donald Trump's radar," writes J. Richard Wright.
"Food sovereignty and security must be considered paramount in all government policy. Otherwise, we may find ourselves as a banana republic — the beggars at the table," writes Brian Marshall.
"Soon the historic buildings behind the chain-link — some dating to the 1880s — will be razed. The excavators will move in. Then the erection of a 55,000-square foot complex with a six-storey height," writes Garth Turner.
"Wouldn’t our provincial government be wiser to support economic diversification? NOTL may aspire to be Napa North, but we lack their nearby Silicon Valley," writes Steve McGuinness.
"Bluntly, the solutions here are many and varied — all a matter of sympathetic architectural design with delicate treatment of form, massing, scale and materiality, focused on blending in versus standing out," writes Brian Marshall.
"I have concluded that the design principle underlying all of them is to frustrate customers so thoroughly that we hang up, abandoning all service attempts, forever and ever, amen," writes Steve McGuiness.
"Niagara-on-the-Lake residents deserve the truth. The most effective way to protect our community’s interests is exactly what is happening now," writes Erwin Wiens.
"Far too often a ghost facade prioritizes a superficial appearance over functional reality," writes Brian Marshall of the new proposal for the Royal George Theatre.
"There is always something special about sitting out in the garden in the evening watching the glittering lights on the surface of the water," writes Joanne Young.
"The story of human evolution is important too because without modern humans, there would be no science and no one to understand what was happening in the universe — the universe would unfold without a witness," writes Dr. William Brown.
On the rebuilding and reopening of the new Royal George Theatre, Ross Robinson writes, "Please don’t say 2029 and then take a year or two or three longer ... The pain to local businesses and residents will be unbearable. To everyone involved."
"What is almost as annoying as the application itself is the fact that staff and council have even allowed this application to be registered at all," writes John McCallum.
"A hole 23 feet deep is no backyard swimming pool. It will consume a good chunk of the Parliament Oak site, rising toward King Street as it transitions from parking garage to hotel foundation and car ramp," writes Garth Turner.
"Our town staff, mayor and council sometimes face criticism from the community, but in this instance, they showed responsiveness and support," write Catherine Cornell & Don Dinnin.
"Their shared dreams rise and fall, worn down by circumstances caused by a multitude of factors. These include the onset of the Great Depression, economic uncertainty, job losses and racism," writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
From turtleheads and asters to Joe Pye weeds and toad lilies, these fall-blooming flowers can be added to your garden to keep the beauty and interest going even as the summer season comes to an end.
"The driving presumption is that more frequent in-person interaction between team members will lead to better coordination and cohesion. But it could just as easily lead to more downtime spent socializing with distracted co-workers around the water cooler," writes Steve McGuinness.
"Sometimes the negative 'press of events' can lead us to believe that there are no 'wins’ to celebrate. But, au contraire, there are," writes Brian Marshall.
"Improv is hard work. If the goal of Murder-on-the-Lake is to take very good care of its audience, this production succeeds admirably," writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
"I was part of a wonderful tableau of Canadiana, with people of all ages, ethnicities, clothing styles and spoken languages. No rhyme or reason to it, it was just happening," writes Ross Robinson.
"Why stop at 70 kilometres an hour limits? What are the statistics that made council do this? How many died in NOTL auto accidents?" writes Lorne White.
"Property taxes are a housing expense directly controlled by municipalities. The town portion of our residential tax bills has increased at multiples of inflation (a 24 per cent compound rate) during this council term," writes Steve McGuinness.
"It is so rewarding to be able to grow your own food. I grew up on a farm — every year, we planted a large garden that would feed my family of eight for the entire winter," writes Joanne Young.
"I encourage residents to remain engaged and vocal in local decision-making. That civic energy is one of the greatest strengths of our town," writes Adriana Vizzari.
"Tourism will always be a vital part of our local economy, but unchecked special events risk undermining the very character of our town," writes Ed Werner.
"How many other developments in Niagara-on-the-Lake have been approved without the full adequacy of the supporting infrastructure?" writes Gienek Ksiazkiewicz.
