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Thursday, November 13, 2025

Opinion

Letter: Cottage rentals keep NOTL’s economy going and its heritage intact

"It’s time to recognize reality: Niagara-on-the-Lake is a world-class tourist town that thrives because people want to visit, stay, and fall in love with it," writes Jason Clements.

Letter: ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ casting wasn’t racist

"We all should practice "kind love against hatred" and doing one's best. My late husband (racially mixed) did this," writes Elizabeth Oliver-Malone.

Arch-i-text: An ode to those who’ve given everything to their country

"On every Nov. 11 since that day, I have shared the evening with a bottle of whisky, those memories and the words that were written down that evening," writes Brian Marshall.

Letter: Press pause on changing the school board boundaries

"Within a span of just two to three weeks, the lives and daily realities of many children and families were upended by a decision made without their voices being heard," writes Priya Litt.

Letter: Many thanks for supporting our pumpkin patch

"We had a great crop this year with lots of beautiful pumpkins," write Reid & Gabrielle, Brook & Brandon, Peg & Steve Watson.

Dr. Brown: How answers beget more questions in the world of science

"All models are provisional and, even if based on the best data available, might have to change in the light of new evidence," writes Dr. William Brown.

Letter: Family’s roadside memorial repeatedly vandalized

"It's hard enough to grieve Matthew's death every minute of every day and now we know a thief without a conscience or a heart has desecrated this hallowed ground," writes Colleen Franz.

Ross’s Ramblings: Should they call it ‘poppy love’?

"Especially in our current world, seemingly so divided and torn over so many issues, it was gratifying to learn that love for the poppy is universal," writes Ross Robinson.

The Turner Report: Why NOTL has a math problem

"NOTL is one of the few burgs in the nation allowing (and encouraging) the conversion of residential housing into 'unhosted' short-term rentals," writes Garth Turner.

Arch-i-text: The fallacy of progress

"It is extraordinarily disingenuous for an individual or corporation to suggest that the 'progress' they seek — or achieve — automatically confers benefits upon the society or community they operate within," writes Brian Marshall.

Editorial: Folksy Ford and the end of speed cameras

"It is a cash grab, sure," writes Kevin MacLean of the speed camera program. "But so what? It’s a penalty earned for not obeying the law, in a school zone, amid warning signs."

Dr. Brown: The standard model of the universe — what’s wrong with it?

"Here, many billions of years later, was evidence of the radiation created in the Big Bang, now cooled to a few degrees above zero Kelvin and stretched by the expanding universe into the microwave range — what became known as the cosmic background radiation," writes Dr. William Brown.

Ross’s Ramblings: Who’s paying for this stuff?

"Do our political party leaders think we believe they have a great big pot filled with money that they dip into to pay for their projects and programs?" writes Ross Robinson.

Letter: Old Town wouldn’t be the same without Jimmy Lai

"After living here for 25 years, I think that the town of NOTL would not look so prosperous without Mr. Lai's and his sister's arrival," writes Yimlei Molly Yep.

Opinion: Reflections after an astounding World Series

"Babe Ruth, among his many quoted phrases, said, 'It ain’t over till it’s over.' That amazing team of Blue Jays players has proven what we already knew: it’s never over, we’re just occasionally between innings," writes Keith McNenly.

The Turner Report: NOTL and the elitist cabal

"Some people believe our little lovenest of a town is lurching toward surveillance, confinement and control. Look at the official, shiny new draft official plan, they say," writes Garth Turner.

Letter: The town’s short-term rental boondoggle

"A process begun in December 2024 looks like it will easily drag into next year’s municipal election. Hopefully, the voters will remember," writes Bob Bader.

Bottom Line: How the federal budget will impact us in NOTL

"Businesses in sectors like oil and gas (and specifically producers of liquid natural gas) are especially favoured ... Sometimes the squeaky wheel attracts the grease," writes Steve McGuinness.

Op-ed: Niagara Children’s Garden crucial for kids’ well-being

"Connecting with nature and connecting in nature both have solid benefits: little hands in sand and water and soil, bring the principles of science and math and literacy alive," write Dr. Robin Williams and Dr. Richa Agnihotri

The Turner Report: NOTL picks tourists over tenants

"As I write this there are six (seriously, just six) rentals listed with realtors in the Old Town. The average rent being asked is $3,000 a month," writes Garth Turner.

Arch-i-text: Political tripe won’t save Niagara-on-the-Lake’s character

"Growth and change in any town may be inevitable. However, those forces must be thoughtfully and consistently managed in order to preserve its unique character and cultural landscapes while evolving into a greater version of itself," writes Brian Marshall.

Bottom Line: Don’t let sickness break your bank

"Under the Canada Health Act, provinces are required to maintain universal health plans offering their residents medical coverage. The provinces receive significant social transfer amounts from the feds in return," writes Steve McGuinness.

Dr. Brown: The immune system: distinguishing friends from foes

"This is a very solid story of science at its best, expressed in the imagination and dogged persistence of the three laureates," writes Dr. William Brown, on this year's winners of the Nobel Prize in medicine and their discoveries concerning how the immune system is kept in check.

Ross’s Ramblings: Let’s ramble from a very crowded Blue Jays bandwagon

"Around NOTL, so many residents and visitors proudly wearing Blue Jays merchandise. People smiling and saying hello to strangers. In our world today, any positive news is welcome, and this World Series run is definitely good news," writes Ross Robinson.

Arch-i-text: Takeaways from Brian MacKay-Lyon’s lecture on good and bad design

"It’s telling that MacKay-Lyons, whose main body of work is unabashedly contemporary, adheres strictly to this sense of place as derived from understanding its existing (or historic) vernacular materials, building culture and forms," writes Brian Marshall.

The Turner Report: NOTL rebels target ‘worst council ever’

"The NOTL rebels’ plan is to have candidates identified and in place well before the race. There may be a slate. There will certainly be public engagements — forums, Q&As, debates. There will be money, as well as passion," writes Garth Turner.

Letter: What happens to the old hospital will define NOTL’s future

"Do we plan for the few, or do we plan for everyone — families, seniors, artists, educators, and the millions who come here to experience Niagara’s beauty and culture?" writes Syreeta Larkan.

Ross’s Ramblings: A short drive to Elora, but a total change of attitude

"Here in Niagara, we seem to be impatient, unhappy and often down on each other. Often a bit mean," writes Ross Robinson.

Dr. Brown: Upcoming Nobel series at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Library

"The Nobel Prizes in the sciences began in 1901, and despite the emergence of a host of other worthy prizes in mathematics, engineering and recently the computer sciences, it remains the gold standard," writes Dr. William Brown.

Letter: The lion, the witch and the weight of representation

"In this production, three white siblings were loyal and steadfast, while the lone Black sibling was the betrayer — seduced by the Witch, captured and imprisoned. The child who looked most like mine was the one punished and needing to be rescued," writes Yakira Mukendi.

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