"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.
"The whole experience was much better than commercial flying. We could see migrating birds in season, the unfolding country we were crossing, and overall travel times rivaled commercial flying," writes Dr. William Brown.
"It all really boils down to one thing: if you’re a voter in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the province wants to hear less than ever from you about decisions that affect your town," writes David Israelson.
"Taken together, Putin and Trump can be seen as pursuing compatible projects in different hemispheres," writes Keith McNenly, citing the consolidation of influence through coercion, leverage and military aggression; treating sovereignty as negotiable and more.
"This site is one of the most important publicly owned assets in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The process used to evaluate its future should clearly reflect the direction already provided by the community," writes Kirby Davis.
"We must remain cognizant that provincial policies include increased density and height, loss of heritage structures and loss of open space and tree cover. What about the needs of local residents?" writes Luba Fraser.
"Instead of working with the foundation, we have decided to spend an additional $80,000 refining what staff or council or our lord mayor seem to think we need to identify before we can go to a request for proposal," writes Bob Bader.
"This site represents a rare opportunity. It is not just about land use — it is about identity, legacy and what we choose to prioritize as a community," writes Jennifer Reimer.
"Wouldn't it have made sense for an elected Niagara Region official to review Harry Schlange's information to see whether it had merit?" writes Gienek Ksiazkiewicz.
"I wonder: who will come to this second location of the big beautiful new Shaw Festival Theatre, year-round, and how much damage three years of construction and loss of visitors will do to our quaint town?" writes Megan Wood.
"Not all can, or even wish to, pursue the gold standard of assisted living. Care should be taken to remain sensitive to the needs of the less affluent and to avoid a tendency for “high-end,” high-profile housing proposals," writes Michael Ennamorato.
"Lord Mayor Zalepa has now formally endorsed the move to chop council, dump our elected rep to the region, accept an unelected super-chair and submit to a voting scheme that would mute our voice. Your voice," writes Garth Turner.
"Doug Ford’s government is taking a page out of Trump’s playbook to introduce equally ill-advised legislation with dire future impacts on provincial and local levels," writes Brian Marshall.
"Whoever came up with the design for the hospital gown? Or did it evolve naturally over the years? Seriously, it must have been the brainchild of a highly unqualified committee," writes Ross Robinson.
"As decisions are made about the future of 176 Wellington, I hope there is room to consider what it could mean for young people in this community to have a place that reflects their potential," writes Andorlie Hillstrom.
"Development, growth and progress will always be part of this community's story. The question has always been whether we do it in a way that honours what makes Niagara-on the-Lake worth protecting," writes Nicholas Colaneri.
"Why would council put $200,000 into this when the Burton Foundation has been knocking on the door, yelling from the roof top for over four years just for the opportunity to participate in a request for proposal?" writes Heather Campagnola.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
