Wind and Rain and Dark of Night

Who are these people to stand in the way of prosperity?

 

What makes them place their own well-being ahead of those in the money business?

Don’t we have municipal authorities taking care of nature, especially Provincially Significant Wetlands?

Where is the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority? The NPCA chews up $tens of millions annually to protect PSW’s! 

Oh yes, the whole damned mess of our upstanding authorities are conspiring to destroy the last PSW in Niagara and why; because of money and greed! 

The former CAO (Now CAO of the Niagara Region) of the NPCA and his Chair of the NPCA board Regional Councilor, Bruce Timms, even concocted an extraordinary scenario that the huge ‘Thundering Waters’ PSW could be transplanted to another area. All with tacit approval of the NPCA Board and Niagara's Political Authorities.

Niagara Mayor Diodati spun a grand fiction that it was his junket to China that produced the $1.5Billion project. This grand fiction was brought to light by Niagara City Councilor, Carolynn Ioannoni who was immediately censored (Based solely on a friendly lawyer's conjecture) by her so-called stalwart compatriots. 

It gets worse! These sterling public servants have hit one of the leaders of the PSW protectors, Mr. Smith, with a non-legitimate lawsuit in a vain attempt to shut him up. Our valiant Authorities would actually use our courts against those who would dare to do half the transgressions against our environment as that perpetrated by those we have mistakenly elected and/or hired.

But the question still stands; who are these self-declared champions of nature who willingly spend their days and nights in a slough forest in the wind and rain simply to bring public notice to the plight of the last Provincially Significant Wetland in Niagara?

Perhaps the better question is; why would we ever vote for authorities of this questionable character? 

Concerned citizens fight on the side of our dwindling nature

This plea to save the last provincially significant wetlands in Niagara circulated  by one of the young people who has been camping out in the Thundering Waters Forest in Niagara Falls all this past week in an effort to draw more public attention to controversial plans to bury parts of it under residential and commercial development.

The fact that this development proposal is still on the books after more than a year of heated debate  has less to do with the China-backed developers that purchased the land from Canadians interests for a sizable sum of money, and more to do with the lack of imagination and vision on the part of too many of this region’s municipal leaders when it comes to good planning, and to the lack of care they show for what is left of the natural heritage all of us who live here were blessed with.

At the end of the day, though, the responsibility for this lies not so much in them as it does in all of us of voting age who live and do business here.

We get the government we deserve, which is why it is so important for every one of us to get more engaged in municipal politics and give maximum thought to who we elect to serve on our local and regional councils in next year’s municipal elections.

Now here is the message from one of the Thundering Waters Forest campers, Niagara citizen Owen Bjorgan -

Day 6. A walkabout in the Provincially Significant Wetlands, which cover approximately 235 acres of this 484 acres.

Insanity that a price tag of 1.5 billion could be slapped onto this fragile and ancient ecosystem. Tomorrow is our last day.

"Species come and go, but the Earth stands forever fast...What privilege do we have under the sun, That gives us the right to the throne?"

In Flames, "Embody the Invisble"

The campers will be there this Sunday, August 20th until 5 p.m.

Here are some directions on how to get to the Thundering Waters Forest site –

From the Queen Elizabeth Highway take the McLeod St exit (exit 27), go east on McLeod.  In approximately 550 metres turn right on Dorchester Blvd.   Follow Dorchester until it appears to end (Y in the road) and turn to the right, you will still be on Dorchester Road, continue on Dorchester across the railway tracks, about 75 metres after crossing the tracks you will see a trail going into the woods. It will be marked. 

Visit Owen Bjorgan’s Facebook page where you can learn more about the Thundering Waters Forest and related topics by clicking on - https://www.facebook.com/owen.bjorgan.7

The only way change happens is when people become more significantly involved in the political process. -Bernie Sanders

Another squalid example of gross over-abundance of government

Back in 1899 when the Association Municipalities Ontario (AMO) was formed it undoubtedly was a good idea to form an association to assist in municipal government.

In 1899 communication demanded that municipal delegates attend conferences to keep abreast of changes.

But that was before modern methods of communications.

It’s no longer necessary to spend $millions to send 1500 municipal employees on junkets to acquire information that is already available! The hapless citizens of a small Ontario town of 6500 taxpayers left to foot a several $Thousand bill to send four education seekers hardly able to justify their expense.

Then there is Mayor Diodottie's astonishing personal education regarding a simple 'Airbnb Booth'

It has been reported that there are municipal delegates using taxpayer funds for romantic trysts and only showing up for the finality banquet!

One of the astonishing conspiracies is how to get away with gouging the taxpayer with the least amount of resistance.

Now we get to listen to Niagara Regional Councilor Paul Grenier propose a 1% sales tax increase no doubt to help pay the unnecessary cost of the OMA.

We don't have a funding problem we have a spending problem !

NPCA Criminals?

Click HERE for the interview with Welland Mayor Frank Campion regarding the  Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA)

 

Click HERE to read the astonishing charges leveled against the NPCA Board

Could Mayor Frank Campion's sudden epiphany and his willingness to throw his fellow NPCA board members 'under the bus' have anything to do with the advent of the upcoming election?

A criminal investigation of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is long overdue and should encompass conservation authority's use, collusion and connivance with the judiciary in their squalid conspiracy to harm innocent citizens.

Some believe the NPCA's legal team is involved in judge shopping to attain sympathetic and conflicted judges 

If a full criminal investigation and forensic audit is not forthcoming, then it is up to the electorate to throw these rascals out of office! 

No Society can survive this level of corruption!

 

The Inexplicables - Pelham Regime

As promised, News Alert Niagara (NAL) attended the July 24, 2017 Pelham Council Meeting.

NAL attended the council meeting to get what Councilor Rybiak categorized as the Pelham’s action plan regarding charges that the municipality may have acted improperly in its land deals.

Although the action plan was never mentioned a version of action did present itself during Pelham Regional Councilor Baty’s report. 

Just as the councilors, each in turn, began their verbal assault on Baty’s performance at Region, Chair Papp, filling in for Mayor Augustyn, stopped the proceedings at the 50Minute mark to ask if anyone was recording the meeting. The fact that the chair had to ask is evidence that audio recording was not disruptive and did not violate the Town of Pelham's code Number 34 (i).

The order to cease and desist audio recording during a public council meeting is sufficient notice that the Pelham Council does indeed have something to hide! 

Since audio recording is completely unnoticeable and is in no way disruptive to any proceedings, prohibiting it certainly does raise alarm bells. 

The councilors proceeded with their verbal assault on their own regional rep Regional Councilor Baty including placing the blame of civil anxiety on almost everyone but themselves. 

They blamed their regional representative, Baty. 

They blamed the Regional Government. 

They blamed Regional Chair Caslin. 

They blamed the whistle blowers and the fact that the whistle blowers where allowed to present at Region. 

They blasted the editor of the local newspaper, 'The Voice'. 

Above all they arrogantly dismiss anyone who doesn't understand their machinations displaying their inexplicable contempt for their constituents!

Again we heard the repeated specter of their 335 page report, which appears to be mostly a 'Rubik's Cube' of obfuscation to the land deal in question.

When asked directly about the quick flipping of property costing the Taxpayers of Pelham $Millions, the councilors vehemently  repeat legalese and provincial government regulations.

Contrary to council's belief, Citizens are entitled to an in-depth plausible explanation regarding the suspicious land dealings between the Pelham Regime and the Toronto based ‘Allen Group’.

The Pelham Regime seems to feel that higher levels of government has no authority over their conduct of skyrocketing debt and rapidly escalating tax increases perhaps the voter can enlighten them otherwise. 

Financial Assassination of Society – Pelham

 

On Tuesday, 13 June 2017 News Alert Niagara (NAL) posted an article regarding the Tax-fighter “Petrowski: They got 'im”, which brought to our attention the reasons behind the efforts of Pelham’s Mayor Dave Augustyn in his ongoing attempt to silence anyone who challenged his regime’s over-spending proclivities.

NAL was proven correct as described in the Wednesday, 14 June 2017 article “Tyrannical Contempt for Citizens” where again Pelham’s Mayor Dave Augustyn did his best to thwart a Pelham Citizen from spilling the beans on Pelham’s Finances.

It gets worse! The little local News Paper ‘The Voice’ published 2 disturbing articles. The one article is under the heading: East Fonthill Process “Corrupted” and again under the title:  http://www.thevoiceofpelham.ca/whistleblower/ where we learn the Town’s treasurer was suddenly fired and other key staff jumping ship followed by threats to whistleblowers.

During the Niagara Regional Council 06-29-2017 we witnessed Pelham’s Mayor Dave Augustyn embarrassing himself, again, by tying up the council proceedings for over 20 Minutes in a failed attempt to prevent a 10 minute presentation regarding serious concerns of corruption.

Alarm bells are sounding predicated on the Pelham Regime’s financial conduct under the control of Mayor Augustyn and his Governing Council piling $Multi- Millions of debt each on every Man, Woman and Child in a Town of 17,000 - 6,500 Homes.

However it was Rainer Hummel’s presentation to Niagara Regional Council 06-29-2017 specifically at the 54Minute mark that compelled us to attend the July 10, 2017 Pelham Council special meeting called by Mayor Augustyn.

The 4:00 pm meeting immediately went in camera so we waited for the regular council meeting at 6:30 pm. We persevered through the entire meeting until it was adjourned .

But the last two people stayed seated in the gallery staring at Pelham’s Governing panel who were also not demonstrating action to leave. Perhaps that is the reason they finally decided to mention that the in camera meeting was in regards to Rainer Hummel’s expose` of suspicious land deals that left Pelham’s Taxpayers paying 9 times or more totaling $Millions out of the ordinary.

 It was some small comfort to see that the Whole Governing Council was aware of the situation!

Without a full and acceptable explanation of the land dealings between the Pelham Regime and the Toronto based ‘Allen Group’, News Alert Niagara will stay on this story.

Without a full and acceptable explanation News Alert Niagara will be calling for a full forensic audit into all concerned.