OPSEU-217

NEW HOME

2006-12-17T12:10:00.000-05:00

ALL FUTURE ENTRIES WILL BE POSTED ON OUR NEW SITE

www.opseu217.com

DON’T LET THE GRINCH STEAL CHRISTMAS!

2006-12-11T20:57:00.000-05:00

DON’T LET THE GRINCH STEAL CHRISTMAS!

Tell Canadian Niagara Hotels (CNH):

“STOP THE WAR ON WORKING FAMILIES”

♦ Give us 8-hour workdays without split shifts!

♦ Pay out the $100 signing bonus now!

♦ Stop the private prosecution of:

- UNITE HERE Director Alex Dagg,

- Organizer Cat Gonzalez,

- Ontario Federation of Labour President Wayne Samuelson, and

- actor Danny Glover!

Wednesday, December 13th

at 5 PM in Niagara Falls

Rally Point:

Corner of Lorne St. and Centre St.

(outside the Kraft plant)

then we march to CNH!

Tentative deal between Parks, employees

2006-12-09T05:11:00.000-05:00

Tentative deal between Parks, employees

The Review
Local News - Friday, December 08, 2006 Updated @ 7:58:47 AM

The Niagara Parks Commission and its employees, members of the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union Local 217, through conciliation efforts undertaken by the province, have reached a tentative contract settlement. The new deal, which still must be ratified by both sides, includes wage increases and improved working conditions for park employees, and provides operational efficiencies for the commission. "I applaud the negotiating teams from both sides for working to ensure a mutually beneficial agreement was reached," said NPC general manager John Kernahan.

Once ratified, the new agreement will be in effect from Nov. 1, 2006 to Oct. 31, 2009.

Tentative deal between Parks, employees

2006-12-09T05:06:00.000-05:00

Once ratified, the new agreement will be in effect from Nov. 1, 2006 to Oct. 31, 2009.

INFORMATION PICKET

2006-12-05T09:30:00.000-05:00

INFORMATION PICKET

2006-12-04T19:11:00.000-05:00

Niagara Parks Commission employees to protest loss of local jobs

2006-12-04T17:35:00.000-05:00

Niagara Parks Commission employees to protest loss of local jobs

NIAGARA FALLS – Employees of the Niagara Parks Commission will hold an information picket on Monday to protest an employer position that would replace local employees with out-of-area contractors.

DATE: Monday, December 4, 2006
TIME: 12 noon – 1:30 p.m.
PLACE: 5881 Dunn Street (Corner of Dorchester and Dunn), Niagara Falls

Employees at the Commission want to inform the public of a situation that could severely reduce or eliminate the chances of local residents being able to get jobs with one of Niagara Falls’ biggest employers.

“The Commission wants to use outside help to run Niagara’s parks and tourist attractions,” says Colin MacKenzie, chair of the bargaining team negotiating with the Commission. “They want to hire contractors from outside Niagara Falls to do this work as cheap as possible.”

MacKenzie said that all other items at the bargaining table have been settled with the exception of the contracting out issue. On this issue alone, employees have given the bargaining team a 93 per cent strike mandate.

“We’re talking about our future, and the future of the young people living in this area,” MacKenzie said. “We want good, decent-paying jobs available to the people in Niagara Falls. That shouldn’t be too much to ask for, and it’s what the people of this area deserve.”

-30-

For further information:

Colin MacKenzie (905) 374-8756

Mark Kotanen, OPSEU Staff Representative (647) 229-0376

NIAGARA THIS WEEK DEC.1/06

2006-12-02T18:13:00.000-05:00

Shortage of work?

Dec 1, 2006

Annually the Niagara Parks Commission lays off its seasonal employees due to what the Commission calls a "shortage of work."

Unfortunately the length of the work season for a large portion of the seasonals has declined over the past few years much to the disapproval of those affected.

In October of this year the southern Niagara peninsula was hit with a major snow storm that caused tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to property and utilities. A large section of the damage was along the Niagara Parkway.

The storm hit just as the first group of employees from the Horticulture Department were being laid off.

The clean up has been under way since the storm ended and looks as though it could take at least three to five more weeks. Although a few seasonals were given extensions to work longer, the clean-up of the aftermath would have been quicker and possibly more thorough if the Niagara Parks Commission would have included all of the seasonals who were going to be laid off.

Not only would the clean up have been completed quicker but it would have given the seasonal staff a few extra weeks of much needed work to help get them through the winter.

Ian Mather

Vice-President, OPSEU LOCAL 217

INFORMATION PICKET

2006-11-29T16:13:00.000-05:00

INFORMATION PICKET

WE WANT TO SEND THE MESSAGE THAT WE ARE PREPARED TO TAKE OUR CONCERNS TO THE PICKET LINE!

DATE: MONDAY DECEMBER 4^TH

LOCATION: 5881 DUNN STREET (NIAGARA COLLEGE)

TIME: 12 NOON TO 1:30PM

We are meeting in the Avondale parking lot on the corner of Dorchester and Dunn

_____________________________________________________________________

PICKET PREPERATION PARTY

We need your help to prepare and get ready for our INFORMATION PICKET.

DATE: SATURDAY DECEMBER 2^ND

LOCATION: OPSEU REGIONAL OFFICE 2285 HIGHWAY 20 FONTHILL

TIME: 10AM

TORONTO STAR

2006-11-19T19:43:00.000-05:00

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1163760487493&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News

Niagara Parks workers vote to strike
Nov. 17, 2006. 02:06 PM
CANADIAN PRESS

NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. — Employees of the Niagara Parks Commission have voted 93 per cent in favour of strike action.

The head of the union's bargaining team says they want their employer to stop contracting out their jobs.

Colin MacKenzie says all the issues have been settled except for the contracting issue.

He says there is no point having improvements to wages, benefits or working conditions if the workers don't have a job.

The more than 500 parks commission employees in Niagara Falls, Ont., tend to the grounds, perform maintenance and operate restaurants and tours.

MacKenzie says the employees could be in a legal strike position by Dec. 31.

Nataional Union of Public and General Employees

2006-11-19T19:36:00.000-05:00

http://www.nupge.ca/news_2006/n19no06b.htm

93% strike mandate to save jobs at Niagara Parks Commission

'There is no point having improvements to wages, benefits or working conditions if you don’t have a job.' - Colin MacKenzie

Niagara Falls (19 Nov. 2006) – Approximately 550 employees of the Niagara Parks Commission have voted 93% in favour of striking if necessary to save full-time and seasonal jobs.

The employees are members of Local 217 of the Ontario Public Service Employees UNION (OPSEU/NUPGE). Conciliation is scheduled to begin Dec. 6. The employees will be in a legal strike position by Dec. 31.

Colin MacKenzie, bargaining team chair, says the dispute boils down to one issue - contracting out. All other issues have been tentatively settled.

“This is all about stopping this employer from contracting out our jobs. The Niagara Parks Commission is systematically destroying jobs and replacing them with outside contracts,” he says.

“There is no point having improvements to wages, benefits or working conditions if you don’t have a job. Our members are adamant that we take a stand against this employer’s practice of contracting out our work. Niagara Falls lives on tourist revenue, and our members at the Parks Commission are the absolute best at what they do. To sell off our jobs to contractors who know nothing about this work will hurt Niagara Falls over the long term.”

The employees tend to the grounds and greenhouses, perform maintenance and operate restaurants, concessions and tours at one of Ontario’s busiest tourist attractions. NUPGE

Web posted by NUPGE: 19 November 2006

NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW/ST. CATHARINES STANDARD NOVEMBER 18 2006

2006-11-19T19:29:00.000-05:00

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18,2006

Niagara Parks employees vote in favour of strike

(CP) - Employees of the Niagara Parks Commission have voted 93 per cent in favour of strike action. The head of the union's bargaining team says they want their employer to stop contracting out their jobs. Colin MacKenzie says all the issues have been settled except for the contracting issue. He says there is no point having improvements to wages, benefits or working conditions if the workers don't have a job. The more than 500 parks commission employees in Niagara Falls tend to the grounds^ perform maintenance and operate restaurants and tours. MacKenzie said the employees could be in a legal strike position by Dec. 31.

Union members give 93 per cent strike mandate to save jobs at Parks Commission

2006-11-17T16:07:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 17, 2006

Union members give 93 per cent strike mandate to save jobs at Parks Commission

NIAGARA FALLS – Employees of the Niagara Parks Commission have voted 93 per cent in favour of taking strike action in an effort to save full-time and seasonal jobs.

Colin MacKenzie, an employee of the maintenance center and chair of the OPSEU Local 217 bargaining team, said this contract is about one issue and one issue only.

“This is all about stopping this employer from contracting out our jobs,” MacKenzie said. “The Niagara Parks Commission is systematically destroying jobs and replacing them with outside contracts.”

All bargaining issues, with the exception of the contracting out issue, have been settled. But as Mackenzie points out, everything hinges on that language.

“There is no point having improvements to wages, benefits or working conditions if you don’t have a job,” MacKenzie said. “Our members are adamant that we take a stand against this employer’s practice of contracting out our work. Niagara Falls lives on tourist revenue, and our members at the Parks Commission are the absolute best at what they do. To sell off our jobs to contractors who know nothing about this work will hurt Niagara Falls over the long term.”

Over 550 employees at the Parks Commission tend to the grounds and greenhouses, perform maintenance and operate restaurants, concessions and tours at one of Ontario’s busiest tourist attractions.

The union will enter conciliation with the employer on Dec. 6, 2006. Employees could be in a legal strike position by Dec. 31.

- 30 -

Golfers may play, stay at Legends on the Niagara

2006-11-17T15:37:00.000-05:00

Golfers may play, stay at Legends on the Niagara

Niagara Parks issues RFP for ideas to improve course

Robert Lapensee

Nov 13, 2006

NIAGARA FALLS -- Some type of accommodations could be in the works for Legends on the Niagara Golf Course as the Niagara Parks Commission looks for ways to round out the course as a world-class golf destination.

Niagara Parks issued a request for proposals to the private sector in early October with the hopes of getting ideas back on what it can do to improve Legends. The wording for the proposal request is unusually loose, said John Kernahan, general manager for Niagara Parks, because Niagara Parks is open to any ideas to ramp up the course already considered to be world-class.

"What is the next thing we need to do to attract more golfers to Niagara?" said Kernahan. "It's very much up to the proponents about what will be proposed."

The next likely step could very well be some sort of accommodation on site because other areas billed as golf destinations already offer "stay and play" golf resorts.

Legends Resorts in Myrtle Beach, positioned on the Grand Strand in South Carolina, offers golfers a place to stay in its golf villas surrounded by nine golf courses. Condos and town homes are also offered for sale around four nearby courses, Barefoot Resort and Golf.

A similar development is underway in Niagara, Grand Niagara Resorts. The $300-million development includes two golf courses, one already open, homes, condos and a hotel.

Kernahan said his hope, not that he is putting ideas in anyone's head, would include accommodations as well as some other high-end component which would add to the calibre of Legends on the Niagara, like an indoor, all-seasons practice facility.

"We recognized we need to offer more than just golf," he said.

Kernahan said the formula for making Niagara a golf destination is starting to work. When it opened in 2002, Legends recorded 11,000 rounds from people living outside the region. In 2006, Kernahan said outsider rounds have risen to almost 26,000.

Since Legends opened, other high-end courses have opened, including Grand Niagara and John Daly's signature course, Thundering Waters."They really just add to the inventory of wonderful golf courses," said Kernahan. "We want to keep the momentum going.

"This is new money coming in. This is good for tourism. This is good for jobs. And this is good for the community."

Regional Councillor Bill Smeaton said he is dead-set against the Parks Commission moving into the accommodations business, saying it's breaking a time-honoured commitment not to compete with private sector businesses.

"There's no way you can say it isn't competition," said Smeaton. "It is."

Smeaton said an understanding the Parks Commission would not compete against area accommodations and instead run its attractions, restaurants and gift shops has existed for years.

He said many accommodations in the area don't know what Niagara Parks is planning.

"I'm going to let them know in a hurry," said Smeaton. "It's a breach of what has been an understood trust."

But Kernahan said Niagara Parks is staying out of the accommodations business, opting instead to have a well-known, brand-name accommodator run the lodgings.

While he was only speculating what might be proposed, he said Niagara Parks will only accept a low-rise development on the property.

"It would have to be something that would fit in with a park setting," he said. "Glass and chrome just won't go."

The RFP closes this month.

E I BENEFITS IF THEIR IS A STRIKE

2006-11-07T15:57:00.000-05:00

1. As a seasonal worker, who gets laid off regularly for the winter months and collects El during the layoff, am I eligible for El benefits if my regularly scheduled layoff occurs before to a strike or lockout? What happens when I perform strike duties and get strike pay during my lay off?

Yes, you may be eligible. Since your winter layoff is considered to be more than a short term layoff (i.e., more than one month) you are expected to be looking for work. You would be required to report your strike pay on your weekly El reporting cards. However, strike pay is not considered to be earnings for El purposes so it wiil not be deducted from your El benefits. However, remember that regular El is designed for people who have no jobs and are actively looking for work so reporting strike pay may cause El to check on your availability for work. If you spend too much time on strike duty, El may assume that you are not available for work and may cut you off.

2. As a seasonal worker, who gets laid off regularly for the winter months and collects El during the layoff, am I eligible for El benefits if my regularly scheduled lay off occurs after a strike or lockout begins? In other words, could I start my El benefits after the end of my contract?

No. Even though you normally would not being working in the winter and would not return to work until the next season, you would not be eligible for El benefits during a strike or lockout because the strike or lockout was the event that disentitled you to El benefits before you reached your normal layoff date. However, if your winter layoff has not ended when the strike or lockout is over, then you may be eligible to receive El benefits for the remainder of the time up to your return to work in the next season.

3. As a seasonal worker I was receiving regular El benefits prior to the strike/lockout. If I participate in a strike or lockout can I still receive my regular El benefits? What happens when I perform strike duties and get strike pay during my lay off?

Yes. You would be required to report your strike pay on your weekly El reporting cards. Strike pay is not considered to be earnings for El purposes so it will not be deducted from your El benefits. However, remember that regular El is designed for people who have no jobs and are actively looking for work so reporting strike pay may cause El to check on your availability for work. If you spend too much time on strike duty, El may assume that you are not available for work and may cut you off.

4. As a seasonal worker, what happens if I am scheduled to return to work during a strike?

Your regular El benefits end at the scheduled return date.

5. As a seasonal worker now collecting El benefits and without a scheduled return date will I continue to be eligible for El benefits during a strike or lockout?

Usually, yes. However, if the employer can convince El that there is a pattern of employment that shows that without the strike or lockout you would have been back to work, then El will cut you off.

8. As a seasonal worker, I received a phone call to return to work and signed a contract but I have only been scheduled for 2 days of work so far and I am not scheduled to work in the future. Am I eligible for El benefits during a strike or lockout?

It depends on the reason why you were not scheduled for more work. If it is because of a strike or lockout that you are not at work, then you would not be eligible for El benefits. On the other hand, if you had been recalled on an "on call" basis, then it would be harder for El to determine that you should be disqualified. Since this is not a dear cut situation, it would be best to apply for El and have them make the determination on your eligibility.

7. As a seasonal worker, I have been called back to work but I am only working 2 days per week. As a result, I am continuing to receive El benefits although my employment earnings are deducted from my El benefits. Am I eligible for El benefits during a strike or lockout?

If you are still working 40% of the week and receiving El benefits when a strike or lockout begins, then you would not receive El benefits for the 40% of the week that you are on strike or lockout but you could still maintain eligibility for the remaining 60%.

Don't forget that you would be required to report your strike pay on your weekly El reporting cards. Strike pay is not considered to be earnings for El purposes so it will not be deducted from your El benefits. However, remember that regular El is designed for people who have no jobs (or are less than fully employed) and are actively looking for work so reporting strike pay may cause El to check on your availability for work. If you spend too much time on strike duty, El may assume that you are not available for work and may cut you off.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

2006-11-04T14:27:00.000-05:00

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Additional Agenda for November 16^th meeting

-Discussion on negotiations

-Strike mandate vote

-Formation of related committees

-STRIKE TEAM

-FINANCE TEAM

-COMMUNICATIONS TEAM

-HARDSHIP RELIEF TEAM

-MOBILIZATION TEAM

Explanation of Strike Pay and Benefits

This does not mean we are going on strike. This is to pass on to our negotiation team that we are prepared to go on strike if necessary.

If fact the higher the strike vote the less likey we are to go on strike.

IT IS OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE THAT YOU ATTEND THIS MEETING.

SHOW MANAGEMENT HOW MUCH YOU SUPPORT YOUR NEGOTIATING TEAM

Bridge expansion shouldn’t gobble up parkland: Redekop

2006-11-03T18:27:00.000-05:00

Printed from the Niagara Falls Review

Bridge expansion shouldn’t gobble up parkland: Redekop

RAY SPITERI; John Robbins

Friday, November 03, 2006 - 02:00

Local News - Mayor Wayne Redekop says he supports shared-border management, but not if it comes at the expense of Fort Erie parkland.

Last month, town councillors were presented with a report recommending ratification of the Peace Bridge Expansion Project, which would include shared-border management as an alternative in a future draft environmental impact statement.

While council approved the report, an amendment proposed by Redekop - calling for shared-border management to not result in any parkland being removed from public domain - was defeated.

The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority would first have to purchase adjoining parkland from the Niagara Parks Commission, if it wanted to expand the bridge’s Canadian plaza near Mather Arch to accommodate shared-border management, said bridge authority general manager Ron Rienas.

A shared-border management facility would see customs officers from Canada and the United States working out of the same plaza on the Canadian side of the river.

Preliminary plans show the Canadian plaza expanding into the park along the west side of Niagara Boulevard, sandwiched between Mather Arch and existing bridge lands, to accommodate U.S. customs inspections operations.

There has been talk the bridge might try to interest the parks commission in swapping some portion of the parkland for compensation down the road. About five acres of land would be required for shared-border management, said Rienas.

But Redekop was not budging.

“Shared-border management makes a lot of sense and I fully support the expansion of the Peace Bridge,” said Redekop. “I disagree, however, that acres of land need to be accumulated beyond what’s already there. I’m not prepared to support more parkland being included in this (project).”

Redekop said he doesn’t think the Department of Homeland Security, one of the partners in the project, really supports shared-border management.

“Regardless of that, shared-border management can work and work effectively and at this particular border.

“But any plan of that nature that isn’t founded on real requirements, I don’t think is manageable,” he said.

“I have indicated … my concern about the notion that we give up parkland in Fort Erie, so that they (Buffalo) can have more parkland.”

Rienas, however, has said the issue isn’t about shared-border management, only about putting the issue on paper to be included in a future draft environmental impact statement.

A shared-border management pilot project at the Peace Bridge was announced by top Canadian and U.S. federal government officials in December, 2004.

At the request of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the bridge authority began drafting preliminary designs to alter the Canadian plaza to accommodate U.S. customs operations.

Earlier this year, Homeland Security signed off on the design, giving the bridge authority the green light to move forward with detailed environmental examination of the plan.

Even after various studies are completed, there’s no guarantee shared-border management will be implemented, since the two federal governments have yet to finalize treaty terms.

Rienas said the bridge authority has “worked tirelessly” to reduce the amount of parkland that would be needed for the project.

“I believe we’ve been very successful to reduce the amount (of parkland), when you consider the Department of Homeland Security initially wanted 40 to 60 acres of land,” he said.

“When you take into consideration the requirements being imposed on other border crossings, I believe we’ve done remarkably well to come up with a plaza design that the Department of Homeland Security has, in fact, signed off on.”

He said the PBA has “explored every possible opportunity” as it relates to parkland, but unless additional land is found, shared-border management isn’t feasible.

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

2006-11-03T18:20:00.000-05:00

General membership meeting Thursday November 16th at 7PM
Legion 479
Spring Street
Niagara Falls.

Stand up for your rights

A better workplace starts with YOU!

At this time, your team is in the process of negotiating a new collective agreement. Remember the process doesnt end with ratification. It is up to every member to police the agreement. You must read your copy of the collective agreement. You must know what your rights are, and when they are being violated. If you think something is wrong, but you arent sure, call a steward.

You can't assume that your manager or supervisor will automatically follow the rules set out in the agreement. Some dont feel the need to follow it, and some dont even know what the collective agreement says. If you are affected by a violation of the collective agreement, you need to bring it to the attention of your manager or supervisor. Make it clear that this is a complaint and you are willing to file a grievance if necessary.

Standing up for your rights doesn't make you a bad employee. Standing up for your rights will not endanger your job. Violating your rights is a mistake made by your manager. Continuing to violate your rights after it has been brought to their attention makes them a bad manager. If you are having a problem, please speak to a steward, but your responsibility doesnt stop there. Even a member ofyour executive cant solve a problem without your continued involvement. Every member must be prepared to stand up and question improper decisions. It's your rights being violated, and its your responsibility to question the violation. Further, if a brother or sister is fighting a violation in your work location, you must back them up. Remember, the rights of one member are your rights too. Keep the big picture in view and support your fellow union member. Never support thesuppression of your rights. These rights have been negotiated for you over the course of many years. Dont throw them away because of apathy or convenience

Therefore, when your new collective agreement is ratified, dont be complacent. Remember that for this document to continue to be relevant, we must ensure that it is being followed by management and the union. Both sides sign the agreement and both sides must honour its provisions.

In solidarity

Barb Wilson

From the secretary's desk

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my Union Brothers and Sisters for making me feel welcome and appreciated in my new position as Union Secretary.

I have spent the last two years as a steward and started attending membership meetings, OPSEU educationals and investing personal time reading our contract. There is so much to learn, but I find it very rewarding as I believe that knowledge is a powerful tool!

With our team presently in negotiations, I am hoping that you as Union members will become more involved and be more aware of your rights according to the contract. Our general membership meetings are a great way to meet members from other areas and to get answers to all your questions and set the record straight on the many rumours we know circulate throughout the Parks.

Please don't hesitate to ask your stewards for asistance when needed. I am looking forward to getting to know each of you.

In solidarity

Jenn Sanderson

The Budget for 2006-2007

Budget breakdown 05-06 proposed 05-06 Actual 06-07 Proposed

Item or description

Income: Rebates

$18,000.00

$13,404.65

$17,000.00 @

Expenses

Meetings: GMM, Exec & Stewards

$2,000.00

$2,226.75 @

$2,000.00

Educationals

$0.00

$400.00

Alternate costs (Convention)

$1,500.00

$2,262.65

$l,500.00(il)

Bank Charges

$65.00

$60.39

$70.00

Postage

$2,000.00

$1,503.35

$1,900.00

Office supplies and printing

$2,000.00

$2,695.81(2)

$2,200.00

E-mail/ internet

$1000.00

$720.00 Q>

$720.00

Other meetings

$300.00

$105.5 1(§>

$300.00

Executive expenses

$9000.00

$7,500.00 (£)

$7,500.00

Sponsorships: Wreath

$65.00

$0.00 (T)

$65.00

Misc (CALM & Info membership)

$210.00

$110.00/3)

$210.00

Total Expenses

$18,140.00

$17,184.46

$16,865.00

Balance Remaining

($140.00)

($3,779.81) @

$135.00

Key to budget notations

1. Rebate amount lower due to timing of deposit of rebate cheque.

2. 5 General Membership, 6 Executive, 4 Steward

3. Increases in printing cost, 3 Newsletters

4. Only a portion of internet covered. Max of $15/monthover 12 months ($180per executive)

5. Constitutional Committee Human rights and JJE meetings

6. Lower due to reduced number of executive members

7. Was not contacted by Legion this year.

8. Did not join Labour council, Expect to next year, left monies in.

9. Defecit not truly reflective of totals because of timing of rebate deposit.

10. Left lower to reflect on lower numbers in bargaining unit.

11. Left amount at $ 1500 because there are no regionals in 2006.

12. Bank balance as of July 1,2005: $6091.53, with $725.04 in outstanding cheques

This budget was presented and voted on at the last General Membership meeting.

Committees

Negotiating Team: Colin MacKenzie, Shelley Reed, Gary Bird, Barb Wilson, Desiree Constantinides and Staff Rep Russ Ellerton

Human Rights Committee:! lan Mather, Fernando Fortino, Maureen Ellis and Barb Wilson

Constitution Committee: lan Mather, Colin MacKenzie, Barb Wilson, Anne Cunningham, Bill Burns and Dennis

Seasonal JJE: Barb Wilson, Veronica Fawcett, Robin Watson. (Alternate: Penny Berketa) Full time JJE Maintenance: Marie Stokes, Platch lammarino (Alternate: Bill Rudd)

White Elephants, the blues and working together

Well, somebody in Upper Management should be getting a promotion. A circus that wasnt drawing the crowds it expected, a French-fry truck that has had a very hard time breaking even, spending as many hours in the garage is it did in use, and a Totem Pole Park at the glen that can be added to the white elephant list that just keeps growing

The Parks is again crying the blues. Now the question is: has it truly been a bad year or is it just that we haven't been meeting or surpassing the huge proj ected profits?

A few years ago, (if I remember correctly it was during our last contract negotiations), Barb Amdt our former Human Resources Director said that "students are the back-bone of the Parks" Some incidents this year seem to back up this statement. Some of our sisters and brothers at the Distribution center had their days, shifts and hours cut because the stock wasn't moving. Now here is the kicker... The Parks found it necessary to cut bargaining unit members back, but didn't seem to have a problem finding work at other locations for the students who were working at the Distribution Center at the time. The student didnt lose any time. Our bargaining unit members weren't as lucky. According to management, the workers were not allowed to move to other locations because they hadn't been laid off and thus could not exercise their seniority

It seems like a no brainer to me, but if hours are reduced it should be the non-bargaining unit employees that go first; and if there are hours available, they should go to the union workers to top up their normal hours. The Director and Managers of Human Resources are always on the Union to "work together¹ to solve our problems. The treatment of our members at the distribution center indicate that maintaining profit margins is more important than maintaining good employee relations. It is hard to work together when the workers are constantly looking over their shoulders for the knife thrust to the back.

I wonder if the powers that be will ever realize that it is all of the full time and seasonal workers, whose conscientious efforts that keep mis ship afloat

In solidarity

lan Mother

The Big Question... and other updates

How are negotiations going? That's the big question lately. Well, you know as much as I do. What I do know is that our negotiating team will do their best. I am hoping that they will be able to give us a positive report at our next General Membership meeting, November 17th.

I have been harping at all of you to make sure that you are signed up members and have got a union card and number. You need a membership number to vote on our next contract, or if negotiations break down, to collect strike pay and benefits from OPSEU.

During our demand set meeting I got a strong message from those members present that, as well as a substantial wage increase, our members wanted better job security. We need better language to control contracting out and the new proliferation of 24-hour workers. These nonunion workers are not only taking away members hours of work, they are unable to sustain much of a standard of living at such a limited income and are not protected by a collective agreement. It is important mat you ensure that you get your full allotment of hours of work in your classification before any hours are given to non-union employees

I'm sure that if we haven't already started hearing about it, we soon will. You know... how this was such a bad year that there is no money to cover any wage increases. This may well be true, we may never know, because we can't see the books. In the past 'golden age' of record profits, I dont recall any bonuses or better increases because we had such a banner year. The workers in the Niagara Parks keep pur standards the same, wether there are 4 million visitors or 14 million. We serve the public to the best of our ability. The Commission is not taking any suggestions from us, in fact it seems that they don't want us to know any of their plans for the future...until the day before the public announcement. Can you say Gondola... Why should we pay for their mistakes with our standard of living.

I would like everyone to take note that our local MPP Kim Craitor has reintroduced a bill in parliament that would force boards and Commissions (like the Parks) to open their meetings to the public. At one time I had criticized Kim for what I felt was a lack of support for our concerns. I applaud Kim's bill and feel that it shows that Kim truly does hear our concerns and is trying to act on them.

The Parks may like to think they are a business that should be able to keep the general public in the dark, but they are not Sears or one of the auto-makers who answer to a limited number of shareholders. The Park is a governmenmt agency and therefore owned by the people of Ontario. We are all shareholders in our workplace

I recently had the opportunity to support the Unite-Here Union that represents our servers at a demonstration there were having on one of their member workplaces. (Canadian Niagara Hotels) It is important that we all try and show our solidarity with other Unions when they are in need. Some day we may need their support. Our Local is taking steps to join the Niagara District Labour Council and we plan on being active members. Joining this group will provide us with the knowledge, experience and resources that we may need in the near future.

See you in November.

In Solidarity

BillRudd

Attention all seasonals!

The following is a brief primer on your rights for transfers and extra work under the collective ageement.

One of the most frequent complaints that I hear is that someone got a job that wasn't posted. Most of the time, the answer is that the job was seasonal. Under the contract, only full-time positions must be posted. In order to be considered for a seasonal position, you must apply to Human Resources for a transfer. The steps to apply for a transfer are explained in Articles 41.02 and 41.03 in the collective agreement This application must be made before

December 31 st to be considered for the next season. If you do apply for a transfer please let someone on our local executive know so that we can check the transfer list and ensure the Park is complying with the contract

If you are interested in extra work, the process is as follows:

When you receive your layoff notice, you have 48 hours to notify your director (or designate) that you wish to exercise your seniority (Article30.06). If you want to be considered for early recall in your department or extra work, then you must notify Human Resources in writing within 48 hours

of receiving your lay-off notice (Article 30.1 Oa). If you want to be considered for extra work outside of your department, the process is the same (Article 30.10d).

The paper with the boxes to check off which some of us are presented with at the time of our lay-off notice will work for exercising your seniority. To be eligible for extra work however you must take the additional step of notifying Human Resource in writing. Remember to keep a copy of your application. Sometimes things get lost...

You have a contract...enforce it!

In solidarity

Barb Wilson

War of 1812 Bicentennial just might pull Region together

2006-10-22T09:43:00.000-04:00

War of 1812 Bicentennial just might pull Region together

Mike Williscraft

Oct 20, 2006

Historians unite.

No, that's not a call to arms, rather, it is more of a call to ideas, planning and concerted effort.

And really, I should not limit the scope to historians, it just seems from first blush that many of the people keen on driving some truly unique and innovative initiatives around the bi-centennial of the War of 1812 tend to be people with an interest in history.

This is somewhat unique in its own right since, typically, big anniversaries and milestones of this nature tend to manifest themselves in the form of business-driven events.

I've been to several meetings around the region recently as the planning wheels get rolling for this most-interesting anniversary.

This is not meant to sound like a negative, but all the meetings have been almost identical. Very keen Niagara residents, all with one goal -- put this three-year skirmish in its rightful place in Canadian history --which would be the forefront.

For starters, it is likely you didn't know that the war was actually fought over three years. It makes me sound pretty smart, but I didn't know until I attended my first planning meeting in May. The most recent session was in Niagara Falls, when an excellent turnout packed a meeting room at the YMCA. Groups headed off to different sectors: events and activities; marketing and promotion; capital project and legacy; and education. The energy, ideas and creativity made it a lot of fun.

The reason I see such huge potential for this anniversary is the overall good it can do for Niagara.

Having had extensive dealings in Niagara West and covering each of the municipal councils out there at some time, I know there have been times when west-end residents have been less than enamoured with "the Region," whether it be because of a perceived funding shortfall, or just feeling a bit like outsiders due to geographic or social issues.

Our region is expansive. There are few, precious few instances or occurrences which could have the dynamics and scope to draw the region together in a strong, focused way. The 1812 anniversary has that potential.

Yes, the border communities of Fort Erie, Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake can boast "ownership" of many of the highest profile and colorful events. But Grimsby has the legend of Billy Green and history of being the furthest encamped penetration of the U.S. at Forty Creek.

By drawing on these other events and characters of the day, a strong historical weave can be knit together to cover the entire region. As a result, all municipalities could be united - with a purpose.

There have been simply a ton of ideas. Few will be achieved, especially if federal and provincial funding is a goal, without concerted efforts from participants.

To this end, we are introducing today, the "1812 Bulletin", which you will find on page 8 of today's paper. We are working with the Niagara Parks Commission on this weekly feature, which will become THE "bulletin board" for all things 1812.

Historical tidbits, trivia, contests, meetings, events, you name it, it will all be there. There are a million stories to tell, and we're going to tell them.

mwilliscraft@niagarathisweek.com

What's your leadership styled

2006-10-13T15:09:00.000-04:00

Niagara Falls Review

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2006

KAREN MARTIN Your Business

We've all worked for bosses we've hated or whom we've considered incompetent. In fact, for many entrepreneurs working for someone they neither liked nor respected is often a major factor in their decision to start their own businesses. And we certainly hope that as business owners or managers ourselves we are doing a better job than some of the people we worked for in the past.

A recent study by two American professors, Tiziana Casciaro from the Harvard Business School, and Miguel Sopusa Lobo, from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, has brought to light some new thinking about four main types of managers or bosses and their effectiveness in the work environment.

Casciaro and Lobo studied four organizations, for profit and nonprofit, small and large, North American and European and came up with four archetypes, which they classify as:

• The competent jerk - someone who knows a lot and is effective in his or her position, but is unpleasant to deal with;

• The lovable fool - someone who doesn't know much, but is wonderful to have around;

• The lovable star - someone who is smart, effective, and likeable;

• The incompetent jerk - those who are not only incompetent, but impossible to like or deal with.

Naturally, this study showed that no matter what type of working environment, everyone wanted to work with the lovable star, and of course, no one wanted to work with the incompetent jerk. However, study results were surprising when it came to employees' choices between competent jerks and lovable fools.

Expecting that most people would choose competence over likeability, Casciaro and Lobo were surprised that the likeability factor was much more important than competence. The researchers discovered what they described as the "gating factor" - if someone is strongly disliked, it is almost irrelevant whether he or she is competent. People simply won't want to work with the person.

On the other hand, when someone is well liked, others will tend to seek out every bit of competence he or she has. As the authors of the study state: "A little extra likeability goes a longer way than a little extra competence."

This finding flies in the face of much traditional human resources thinking, wherein a high level of on-the-job competence is usually the primary requirement. Casciaro and Lobo suggest organizations promote familiarity and team building among their staff and use likeable staff members strategically, to bridge gaps between diverse groups in an organization. They also suggest strategies for dealing with the competent jerk.

This study is important to small business owners for many reasons. I think it is useful for all business owners and managers and honestly examine their own leadership and management styles and see where they might fit into these archetypes. And when hiring others, it is important to remember that employees who are liked by their co-workers can be highly effective in the working environment and should be placed strategically within your company.

Casciaro and Lobo's full article can be found in Rotman, the magazine of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Karen Martin holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree and is an APEC Certified Business Counsellor. She teaches seminars and workshops on a variety of subjects, including business communications, marketing, sales, and business planning. You can contact Karen at carleton@vaxxine.com.

NPC AND TORONTO POWER

2006-10-04T04:20:00.000-04:00

TORONTO STAR

Powering the future

Oct. 2, 2006. 01:00 AM

TYLER HAMILTON

Ask any question on the subject of Ontario's electricity system and Jan Carr almost always has the answer — and then some.

Driving westbound along the QEW, en route to a tour of the century-old and recently decommissioned Rankine Generating Station at Niagara Falls, Carr rattles off one historical tidbit after another about hydroelectric power and its importance to the province.

With pictures and charts and maps in hand, he's a walking Wikipedia.

"I've always had an interest in the history of it," says Carr, chief executive of the Ontario Power Authority. "I've been in the business, I'm afraid to tell you, for my entire professional life."

Thirty five years to be precise, including executive roles at engineering companies Hatch Acres and Barker Dunn & Rossi Inc., where he lived and breathed power systems — everything from transmission infrastructure to the power plants that connect to it.

Before joining the newly created power authority as its first employee nearly two years ago, Carr spent roughly a year as vice-chairman of the Ontario Energy Board. He holds a PhD in power systems from the University of Waterloo and an electrical engineering degree from the University of Toronto.

His experience could prove crucial for the challenge that lies ahead. Ontario's electricity system is at a crossroads. The power authority estimates that if nothing is done within the next 10 years the province won't have enough power to meet its needs.

By 2025, the outlook is much more bleak. Roughly 80 per cent of existing generating facilities will have to be replaced, refurbished or displaced through energy conservation if rosy projections of economic growth prove correct. Failure to do so would lead to a 10,000-megawatt "energy gap" and certain economic collapse.

Much has changed in a century. Niagara Falls and other renewable hydro sources supplied most of the province's electricity during the first half of the 1900s, but as the province grew, the former Ontario Hydro relied increasingly on coal plants during the 1950s and 1960s and nuclear plants in the 1970s and 1980s to keep the economic engine humming.

Then system planning suffered a bad case of paralysis. Throughout much of the 1990s and up to 2003, the economy grew but the electricity system was largely neglected. It didn't help that 40 per cent of the province's nuclear capacity was suddenly taken offline for repair in 1997, or that price caps kept electricity rates artificially low and discouraged energy conservation.

"We inherited a mess," said Energy Minister Dwight Duncan during a public presentation in June. "Electricity demand grew by 8.5 per cent, but our generating capacity actually fell by 6 per cent. There was little investment in Ontario's transmission infrastructure. . . . There was simply no plan for Ontario's electricity system."

Complicating matters is coal. It's dirty, it contributes to smog and global warming, and the Ontario Medical Association says burning of the fossil fuel for electricity is responsible for thousands of premature deaths and many more illnesses across the province.

The McGuinty government campaigned on an ambitious commitment to shut down all coal plants, but experts warned that taking so much power offline so quickly — about 7,600 megawatts — threatened to bring instability to an already fragile system. The closure plan is now on hold and under study. So far, only the 1,140-megawatt Lakeview coal station in Mississauga has been mothballed.

Nuclear is also a sticky issue. The province's aging and controversial CANDU reactor fleet will need to be refurbished or replaced over the next 10 to 15 years in the absence of alternatives. But nuclear power's track record in Ontario is filled with cost overruns, delays, unanticipated repairs, and massive debt. And a crucial question remains unanswered: Can we safely and permanently dispose of radioactive fuel waste?

"All the roads on this file are rough," Duncan told the Star earlier this summer.

As governments tend to do when faced with difficult questions and choices, the current Liberal regime formed an independent agency in 2004 — the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) — and tapped Carr as its captain.

The power authority has been charged with drafting an electricity system blueprint that will guide the province for the next two decades. Carr assembled a management team and, after a hiring spree, the new planning agency got to work.

"The Liberals came in and recognized we do need to do some planning," says Keith Stewart, manager of the climate change campaign at WWF-Canada and co-author of Hydro: The Decline and Fall of Ontario's Electric Empire. "We're going to have a continued need for planning because electricity is literally a system. If parts of it go down, all of it collapses."

Like it or not, a key part of the estimated $46 billion plan is already complete. In December the power authority submitted recommendations to the government on what the mix of electricity supply should look like between now and 2025, on the assumption the province would need about 45,000 megawatts of supply during peak times — the most energy-demanding days and hours of the year. It also assumed coal is eliminated from the mix.

The government agreed with the power authority that renewables — hydroelectric, wind, biomass and solar energy — should be doubled to 15,700 megawatts. But it kept nuclear's contribution capped at 14,000 megawatts, 1,000 megawatts less than what was suggested, and it doubled recommended conservation targets to 6,300 megawatts.

The decision still means at least 1,000 megawatts of new nuclear reactors will be needed, and possibly more if refurbishments of existing units prove too costly.

Critics say new reactors and some refurbishments wouldn't be necessary if the government put more money and emphasis on energy efficiency, conservation and the strategic use of natural and by-product gases.

`There are a range of variables at work in

trying to make long-

term predictions like

this . . . It makes accurate predictions very hard'

Mark Winfield, director of environmental governance at the Pembina Institute

Many are outraged that the government is not putting its nuclear-dependent supply mix plan through an environmental assessment — as was done when the last plan was drafted in 1989 — while others say coal and technologies to clean it up are getting short shrift. Environmentalists say we need to up the conservation goals; others consider the current target a pipe dream.

Amid the controversy, Carr has his marching orders. "The supply mix is a policy prescribed by the government," he says. "It's our plan to draw up a physical plan to achieve it."

That's what the power authority is busily working toward today. A team of 25 employees, sleeves rolled up and armed with a $4.5 million budget, aims to release a draft of the "Integrated Power System Plan" later this fall.

The final plan, a hefty document that is sure to be the subject of intense debate, goes to the Ontario Energy Board for approval in the winter. It will be the first plan of its kind in 17 years.

Developing a 20-year electricity plan for a large province like Ontario is a mammoth exercise with many layers of complexity. It's called an "integrated" system plan because all the pieces — transmission, power generation, and conservation efforts — must be placed in a delicate, sustainable balance that's also flexible enough to change over time.

Difficult questions need to be asked, and every answer is like a move on a Rubik's Cube that alters the face of the puzzle. Consider some of the following:

· We need to build and upgrade transmission, but how much and where? Building a transmission line to Manitoba could unlock a bounty of clean hydropower and open up renewable wind power and hydro resources in northern Ontario. But what's the cost, and is it worth it?

· How will NIMBYism and Indian land claims affect transmission planning? What's the immediate and long-term impact on the environment?

· The way in which conservation targets are met will need to be laid out in detail, as will the new schedule for closing down coal plants and the strategy for replacing all that lost power. Do we demolish the coal plants, convert them to natural gas, or keep them on standby as backup generation?

· How will the coal plant closures and conservation, which can vary from region to region, influence decisions on transmission? The location and size of new nuclear reactors and the schedule for building them, as well as refurbishing old ones, needs to be factored in.

There are no easy answers.

From the outset, the plan must also anticipate long-term energy demands, make assumptions about the economic health of the province, and take into account likely advancements in technology.

Even the weather — for example, the impact of global warming on hydroelectric resources and air conditioning demand — has to figure into the equation.

Last month, the power authority released a "load forecast" discussion paper, which estimates growth in energy consumption will rise 1 per cent annually between 2005 and 2015, after which it says the forecast becomes "more uncertain."

Mark Winfield, director of environmental governance at the Pembina Institute, an energy and environmental think tank in Toronto, is leery of any attempts at a long-term forecast. He believes the power authority is not giving enough credit to technological innovation or conservation, and is being overly optimistic about economic growth and the health of industries that are in visible decline.

"There are a range of variables at work in trying to make long-term predictions like this," says Winfield, pointing to previous forecasts that fell far from the mark. "It makes accurate predictions very hard."

Stewart of WWF-Canada has similar concerns. "The thing with models is that they're dependent on the assumptions you make, and they're making assumptions that aren't realistic," he says. "Any academic will tell you if you get to control the initial assumptions, you'll get the results you want."

During the mid-1970s, for example, Ontario Hydro told the Ontario Energy Board that peak electricity demand would rise 8.2 per cent annually for the following five years, sparking approval of the Darlington nuclear station and construction of a 2,000-megawatt oil-fired plant at Wesleyville.

The demand never came, and a half-built Wesleyville was mothballed. Darlington went ahead, but the province had a power glut by the time the nuclear station became operational in the early 1990s — more than four times over budget.

In 1989, Hydro requested permission to build three new nuclear stations, two coal-powered stations and other facilities as part of a plan to double its generating network by 2014, again because of high projected electricity demand and a fear of shortages. Four years later it dropped the plan and said no major generating plants would be needed until 2009. It was the last system plan completed in the province.

`The supply mix is a

policy prescribed by the government. It's our plan

to draw up a physical

plan to achieve it'

Jan Carr, chief executive,

Ontario Power Authority

Winfield says the past teaches us a valuable lesson: "Don't commit to large, inflexible, non-incrementally expandable or shrinkable projects with very long lead times, as the assumptions on which they are planned may turn out to be sand. Then you may have a very hard time changing course."

On the opposite side of the debate is the Power Workers' Union, which represents employees in the power industry across the province. It believes the power authority's load forecast "incorporates a good dose of reality" but could even go a bit further — say, 1.8 per cent growth annually.

Amir Shalaby, vice-president of power system planning for the power authority, says a reliable plan can be created if its foundation is based on facts. We know, for instance, that certain nuclear reactors will come of age between now and 2025.

"There will be three million more people living in Ontario in 20 years. That is fact. This is immigration policy. We know the income streams, we know people's preferences," says Shalaby. "There are many things that are not going to change dramatically if you do your homework."

Shalaby, like Carr, is a three-decade veteran of the industry who has worked in senior roles at the former Ontario Hydro and the Independent Electricity System Operator. He helped prepare Hydro's 1989 system plan, and is now overseeing development of the current plan.

"Our hope is to agree on what we consider the facts, rather than choices of destiny or development patterns," he says. "If we can agree on the facts we can do a huge amount of improvement on the debate."

The Rankine station is a beautiful and grand structure overlooking the crest of the Horseshoe Falls, and Carr is like a kid in a candy store as we walk along on our private tour. He stops frequently along the way to admire the brass railings, stone archways and architectural detailing of a bygone era.

Built by U.S.-owned Canadian Niagara Power Corp., the Rankine station was opened on Jan. 2, 1905 as the most sophisticated hydroelectric generating station in the world. It was modeled after the now-demolished Adams Station on the American side of the Falls, and used technology based on the innovations of electricity pioneers George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla.

FortisOntario, the current owner of the Rankine station, chose to shut down the facility last year and its water rights on the Niagara River come to an end in 2009. The structure will be handed over to the Niagara Parks Commission, which, if it can get the funding, plans to turn it into a museum.

Carr, in 1983, attempted to do the same for the slightly younger but poorly kept Toronto Power Generating Station just down the road. That station began operation in 1906 but Ontario Hydro shut it down in 1973 and left it to deteriorate.

"It was built to supply the city of Toronto, and they built a long transmission line from Niagara Falls to Toronto," says Carr, who wanted to turn the station into a science and technology museum. "It didn't work. The Bill Davis government of the time decided to build Science North in Sudbury instead. So I moved on to other things."

Carr is like many veterans of the industry who admire engineering achievements of the past, when the construction of bigger, better and more powerful structures was a testament to the innovation of the time.

Huge, centralized hydroelectric, coal and nuclear projects fit that mould.

"Up until the 1970s there was increasing benefits to scale. The bigger the plant you built, the cheaper it was. That's very much an engineering mindset, but that also is no longer where the technology is," says Stewart.

"Our planning is all about how we generate, and it's an afterthought in looking at how it's used. This is something that has deep roots in how the system was originally built."

A fundamental issue is whether we continue to build gigawatt-sized plants in anticipation of future demand that will rise to meet supply, or focus on a more distributed, targeted generation closer to the point of consumption that's highly efficient and can be built as need arises.

WWF's Stewart fears the process is tilted in favour of old-school thinking. "I can't turn on my TV without seeing an ad from the Ontario Nuclear Association," he says. "There are those kinds of crass political forces at work, and that will and already has had an influence on the outcome."

OPA's Shalaby is aware of such criticism, and he acknowledges that his deep roots with old Hydro aren't considered an asset in some corners. But the person overseeing planning for Ontario's electricity system is more multidimensional than he may appear. A staunch believer in early childhood education, he operates a not-for-profit daycare in Markham.

Shalaby is also a friend and fan of U.S. energy-efficiency guru Amory Lovins, chief executive of the progressive Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado.

He insists the process he's leading will be transparent, inclusive and will work toward a plan that's sustainable. "We have to be open-minded, and we are open-minded," says Shalaby, who immigrated to Canada from Egypt when he was 17.

"Being of third-world country origin, I'm very cognizant of how badly things can go if you mismanage either societal institutions or your national resources. I've seen first hand what harvesting your environment can do. Sustainability to me is not just a textbook concept."

The open question is whether the power authority can learn from the past without repeating its errors.

Meanwhile, there's still time for citizens of the province to add their voice. One way: go to the OPA's power system plan website at http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/ipsp, and click on "submissions."

UPDATED STEWARDS LIST SEPTEMBER 2006

2006-10-03T17:34:00.000-04:00

Name

Randy Aird 354-8081 Hort. Section 3

Penny Berketa 356-5136 QVP

Gary Bird 871-4062 Paint Shop

Bill Burns 358-3580 Maintenance Centre

Desiree Constantinides 358-5359 QVP

Colleen Cotter 382-3448 Table Rock Quick Serve

Glenn Davis 680-0829 Legends

Maureen Ellis 680-4710 People Mover (Rapidsview)

Veronica Fawcett 371-2731 Floral Clock

Fernando Fortino 354-6492 Queenston

Carey Gore 357-3540 Maintenance Centre (Garage)

Fred Hopkins 994-1113 People Mover (Rapidsview)

Placido lammarino 374-6054 School of Hort

Darlane Johnston(DJ) 894-0708 People Mover (Rapidsview)

Rob Knight 684-2428 Sir Adam Beck/Floral Clock

Andrew Lacosse 356-4539 Fort Erie

lan Mather - Vice President* 356-3967 Waste/ Recycling

Colin MacKenzie 374-8756 Maintenance Centre

Michael McAndrew 295-9595 Legends on the Niagara

Shelley Reed 871-8078 Table Rock Complex

Bill Rudd - President* 382-1958 Maintenance Centre

Jenn Sanderson - Secretary* 937-6103 Maid of the Mist Restaurant

Anita Simonetti 358-9472 Table Rock Restaurant

Marie Stokes - Treasurer* 357-4219 Greenhouse

Robin Watson 354-6700 Oaks Garden Theatre

Barb Wilson - Chief Steward* 227-9082 People Movers (Rapidsview)

* Executive

Nothing trivial about new parks commission appointment

2006-10-03T15:35:00.000-04:00

By Review staff

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE - Ed Werner, founding president of Horn Abbot Ltd., which introduced Trivial Pursuit, has been appointed to the board of the Niagara Parks Commission.A longtime Niagara resident, Werner's involvement in the success of the Trivial Pursuit board game has been recognized with an Outstanding Business Achievement award from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and induction into the Canadian Toy Industry Hall of Fame.

Parks commission Chairman Jim Williams welcomed Werner as a "great acquisition."

"You need good business sense around the table when you're making multi-million dollar decisions," said Williams.

In addition to his role as vice-president of Horn Abbot, Werner is president of Brox Company Limited - a company that invests in the hospitality, agriculture and land-development industries.

He is a member of the Niagara Enterprise Hall of Fame and has lectured at Brock University. He is also a lawyer, member of the Niagara Business Education Council and on the board of Colgate University.

A noted rowing champion and international hockey player, Werner has coached minor hockey in Nia-gara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls.

He joins other local residents Bob Gale, president of Gales Fuels and Lord Mayor Gary Burroughs on the Niagara Parks Commission.

"Ed Werner has exceptional business and marketing skills that will be an asset to the Niagara Parks Commission as it responds to the demands of an evolving marketplace," said Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor, who made the announcement this week.

"His involvement in land development coupled with heritage preservation will be useful knowledge for the commission."

Werner's was the fourth appointment .to the commission this year, as Ontario's Liberal government names new people to replace commissioners whose terms expire. Gale and lawyer Italia Gilberti were the first two appointments this year. St. Catharines businessman David Stewart Howes, who owns Lincoln Fabrics, was recently named to the board.

The mayors of Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake are automatically members of the commission and regional council appoints a member. With elections in November, it's possible there will be more turnover on the parks commission.

By January, it would be possible to see a majority of the 12-member parks commission having less than a year of experience, Williams said.

Curious questions from Niagara Falls tourists

2006-10-03T15:30:00.000-04:00

Curious questions from Niagara Falls tourists

In his book, Neither Here Nor There, Bill Bryson captures the quirky behaviour of those of us who love to travel: "You fly off to a strange land, eagerly abandoning all the comforts of home, and then expend vast quantities of time and money in a largely futile attempt to recapture the comforts you wouldn't have lost if you hadn't left home in the first place."

If I had a nickel for every American who stopped me while backpacking across Europe in the 1970s and asked me where they could get a decent hamburger, 1 could have stopped sleeping in fields.

Maybe that's why, at the information booths around Niagara Falls, the tourists ask some strange questions. Maybe they're just trying to surround themselves with all the creature comforts of home. Like:

Question: Are we able to bring our guns to Canada?

Answer: Hell, yes. It's the firing pins and ammo you need to leave with me.

Each tourist season, staff members who operate the information booths around the Falls collect the oddest questions asked of them, in hopes I can come up with the answers. Actual questions, 1 might add.

Question: Isn't there anything interesting here?

Answer: Please, madam, do not let your encounter with the weather spoil your visit.

Question: Can you tell me what type of money you have in Canada?

Answer: Funny money. It's all different colours, the two-dollar bill is now made of brass, the one-dollar coin is named after a silly bird, the hardware store takes Canadian Tire money. Look, give me all that cash and use this Air Miles card to pay for everything until you leave the country.

Question: Is your electricity the same as ours?

Answer: It looks the same as yours in that it's invisible, but it's twice as powerful. You could use a blow-dryer from across the room. No, I'm serious. You could mow the lawn of your motel with an electric razor.

Question: Do the whales at Marineland come from the Falls?

Answer: Yes. We catch them in the spring when they're spawning. They swim up river, then jump over the falls to lay their eggs in Chippawa. We pay students $50 each to stand at the brink of the falls and catch them before they hit the water.

Question: Can you tell me how to get to Niagara Falls from here?

Answer: OK, you go back down the QEW to Fort Erie and cross into Buffalo. You take the New York Thruway to the Skyway Exit, which puts you on Highway 5 headed for Erie, Pa. About 10 miles down on your right is a fruit stand with a sign that reads: "Niagara Falls Information." They sell maps.

Question: What is Canadian food?

Answer: It's really just American food at twice the price.

Question: I'm here on a one-day hike. Where can I see the moose?

Answer: OK, you follow the Niagara River north until you come to Queenston. You cross the bridge over to Lewiston, N.Y., and go to 120 Water St. No guarantees you'll spot one, but that's the lodge where they hang out.

Question: Is my birth certificate valid here? I now have a different last name.

Answer: Welcome to the Honeymoon Capital of the World. We're tolerant people here in Canada. Just because you got married, we see no reason to deny you were ever born. To be safe, take this marker and write your new last name over your birth name and change "seven pounds, five ounces" to - what? - 150, 160 pounds?

Question: Do you pay in the public toilets here?

Answer: No, you pee in the public toilets here. Some things are more important than capitalism.

Question: When do you shut everything down?

Answer: I figure one more victory by the Harper government oughta do it. Oh, you mean the Falls? I'm closing up now, but when you're ready to leave, just hit that secret button on the side of any of those pay telescopes. That will shut off the water, the lights and the mist. Whatever you do, don't press twice. That activates the nuclear option on the power generating plant.

Niagara Falls' tourist slogan is "One Wonder After Another."

Amen.

Tourism numbers look good

2006-09-05T19:21:00.000-04:00

Tourism numbers look good

Several businesses report good tourist season

By Don Glynn
Niagara Gazette

While the attendance figures are still being compiled, it is evident from an early analysis that the 2006 tourist season will go down in the books as a generally good one.

Despite reduced lanes and road reconstruction in downtown Niagara Falls, the nation’s oldest state park was bustling with a steady influx of visitors for most of the summer. Area attraction operators also agreed that business was steady for the past two months.

As this long holiday weekend approached, South End hotels were asking upwards of $225 per night. Meanwhile, some motel operators along Niagara Falls Boulevard (Route 62) were expecting get $125 to $150 per night.

David Fleck, general manager of the 80-room Howard Johnson’s Hotel on Main Street and president of the Niagara Falls Hotel and Motel Association, said he was virtually sold out several days in advance of Labor Day.

He estimates that overall, for the year, his occupancy rate will hover at 56 percent.

“That might not sound like a whole lot, but it’s a marked improvement from that post 9-11 era when we were faced with 36 percent occupancy,” he said.

At the Econo Lodge at the Falls, 5919 Niagara Falls Boulevard, General Manager Galeb Rizek was optimistic that the 72-room hotel would be filled, but he was concerned about the weather.

Earlier in the weekend, the boulevard traffic appeared down, he said. “Actually we’ve still had a phenomenal season,” he added, noting his figures would undoubtedly match last year’s performance that was considered very good.

Some Route 62 motel operators said they had expected to get less for rooms over this weekend because of the dismal weather outlook.

On the Ontario side of the river, Niagara Parks Commission General Manager John Kernahan conceded that the current tourist season was adversely affected by unwarranted concerns over new passport rules. Widespread confusion has surfaced because people think the new rules — which take effect in 2008 — are already in place. Kernahan also thinks that threats of terrorism dissuaded many consumers from traveling any distance.

Traditionally, the Ontario parks system has depended heavily on American visitors but in recent years, Kernahan noted, the breakdown has been closer to a 50-50 split.

Before this weekend, sales of the popular “Passport to the Falls,” a single admission to seven park attractions, was up 24 percent from a year ago, according to Allen James, marketing and events coordinator for the regional state parks commission.

“We’re up substantially at our attractions within the park,” he said.

The Albany-based state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is expected to announce later in the week attendance reports from each of its 11 regions in the statewide system that includes 170 parks.

For decades, the impression has prevailed that the tourist season starts on Memorial Day weekend and ends on Labor Day.

That timeframe is no longer valid, according to many people who work in the hospitality industry.

They are quick to point out that September and October also are strong months for tourism, from the leaf-peeping weekend trips across the Northeast to the motorcoach tours and numerous fall festivals.

Tourism numbers reflect a tough year in Niagara

2006-08-30T19:57:00.000-04:00

http://www.niagarathisweek.com/na/news/story/3657552p-4228775c.html

NIAGARA THIS WEEK

Tourism numbers reflect a tough year in Niagara

Visitors from U.S. down to lowest level since 1993

Robert Lapensee

Aug 30, 2006

NIAGARA FALLS -- Tourism officials in Niagara are calling 2006 a tough year as the sun sets on the industry's busiest season.

With numerous attractions including world-class golf courses, the Journey Behind the Falls, restaurants and gift shops along more than 1,700 hectares (topping 4,000 acres) of parkland along the Niagara River from Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake drawing millions of people each year, the Niagara Parks Commission is one of the major tourism attractors in the region. But with a forecasted 12 per cent drop in traffic in 2006, which equates to a five per cent drop in revenue, even Niagara Parks is feeling the sting from a mediocre year, said Executive Director Joel Noden.

"There's been a slight increase in Canadian tourists but there's been a real decrease in American tourists," said Noden. "Americans spend three times (in Niagara) what a Canadian would spend."

What's happening to the Niagara Parks is a trend which is occurring across the country. A Statistics Canada report released earlier this summer said Canada has fallen out of the top 10 destinations for international travelers for the first time in 12 years after ranking 11th in 2004, dropping one spot from the year before. Hong Kong squeezed Canada out after jumping to seventh place, up four spots from 2005.

The StatsCan report cites a drop-off in American visitors as the major reason why Canada was left off the list.

Patrick Gedge, CEO of the Niagara Economic Development Corporation, said it's no surprise Canada has dropped down in the rankings and it's a real concern for the Niagara area.

"Americans make up the bulk of visitors to Canada, Ontario and Niagara," said Gedge. "We've been losing our market share and others have been gaining."

Foreigners made more than 38-million trips to Canada in 2004, down slightly from 2003, the StatsCan report said. Travel from overseas soared by more than 24 per cent but American visitors dropped to its lowest level since 1993.

Americans made 34.6-million trips across the border.

It's been reported about 12-million people visit Niagara annually.

While no one really knows why Americans are staying at home, there are a number of theories. Gedge said the number of American visitors to Niagara has been in decline since SARS hit in 2002.

The StatsCan report said 2.5 per cent fewer Americans visited Canada in 2004 compared to 2003 but what really hurt the ranking was a drop in same-day visits. Gedge calls it the rubber-tire traffic, which he says is very important to border cities like Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Same-day visits fell by 8.2 per cent in 2004 and has been in decline every year since 1999, said the StatsCan report.

"Border areas are more dependent on the rubber tire traffic," said Gedge.

He said the SARS crisis was the point when tourism in Niagara turned downward, more so than in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001. He said 9/11 reduced tourism and travel for a short time but it rebounded. When SARS hit, it squashed the Americans' urge to travel abroad and kept travellers closer to home, said Gedge.

"But while it started with SARS, it's not the issue anymore," said Gedge. New challenges, like the value of the Canadian dollar, the rising cost of gas and confusion over whether you need a passport to enter Canada, could potentially land another blow to the tourism industry because all are facets the tourism industry has no control over.

"It's our perfect storm," Gedge said. He said fewer Canadians could be coming to the region because the high Canadian dollar could have Canadian travellers visiting destinations out-of-country. "There is the potential this year will be marginal to last year and last year was not a good year."

Word around the Niagara Falls council horseshoe has tourism operators in the city calling 2006 mediocre at best. But while it's been tough, there is a silver lining -- new markets which are starting to open up. Noden said more travellers are visiting from overseas. Visitors from Europe, Asia and other countries from the eastern side of the world won't need passports to enter Canada or return home. The rising Canadian dollar is also not really a concern because it still beats the Euro or the British pound.

"A trend we are starting to see is people from Britain coming for shopping weekends in Toronto and Niagara," said Noden. He said those markets are big spenders since they make up only 10 per cent of Niagara Parks traffic but 33 per cent of its revenue.

"Asia and Europe are spending four times more than what the Americans are spending. We are really putting a focus one these markets. Not ignoring the U.S., but really focusing on increasing our market share."

In spite of all challenges the industry is facing, Gedge said Niagara has a wide range of experiences to offer American visitors, which he hopes keeps the region on the globetrotter's to do list. Niagara Falls is a world icon, Gedge said, and the region is becoming known as the wine capital of Canada. There's plenty of outdoor activities, a growing number of festivals and Niagara is close to major populated centres in Canada and the U.S.

"We have a richness of products that is the envy of the nation," said Gedge. "We just have to make sure we spread awareness of all that we have to offer." Gedge said NEDCOR, along with a host of partners, pool resources in order to sell Niagara to target niches in advertising and at trade and tourism shows.

And while the local tourism industry can't control the value of the dollar, prices at the pump or the confusion from the passport initiative, Gedge said there are things it can control including a level of service which keeps people coming back.

"If people have a great experience, they will go home and talk about the great four or five days in Niagara," he said. "You can't buy that type of publicity."

DAY TRIPPERS LOWEST SINCE '72

2006-08-20T09:52:00.000-04:00

Don Glynn

Niagara Gazzette

August 20, 2006

GLYNN: U.S. day-trippers to Canada reach lowest level since 1972

Our federal government seems to have a knack for clouding issues.

One of the latest examples of bureaucratic bungling is the widespread perception that Americans and Canadians need passports to cross the border.

When the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) takes effect on Jan. 1, 2008, Canadians and citizens of Bermuda will need to produce a passport when then enter the U.S.

At that same time, Americans traveling in Canada will be required to show a passport to re-enter the U.S.

Whether that makes sense is open to debate. What matters, however, is the costly toll the proposed measure has already taken. Although the enforcement is a year away, it’s virtually impossible to convince visitors

otherwise.

There is even talk the plan might be further postponed so that officials in Ottawa and Washington can better address the bi-national tourist industry concerns.

In a weird way, one might get the impression that the U.S. has finally found a scheme to keep visitors to Niagara Falls on this side of the river.

Just look at the latest Statistics Canada report, the agency that tracks foreign travel in and out of that country.

The number of American day-trippers to Canada has dropped to 1.2 million for a month, the lowest level recorded since the current reporting process was established in 1972.

“There are lots of reasons for that decline,” said John Kernahan, general manager of the Niagara Parks Commission based in Niagara Falls, Ont.

He ticked off a short list: confusion over the passport rules; high gasoline prices and the difference in the currency. With the Canadian dollar worth 89 cents (U.S.), there is less a lure for Americans to take advantage of a premium.

“And the whole world situation (e.g. threats of terrorism) makes many people feel a little less free to travel,” Kernahan added.

In the late 1990s, Americans comprised nearly 70 percent of the annual visitors to the Niagara Parks system. Today, that breakdown is closer to 50-50. Parks officials consider a 60-40 split (U.S.-Canada) as the “business as usual” level.

On a related issue, the Toronto Globe & Mail disclosed last week that after several years of failing to negotiate an agreement with China, Canada still doesn’t have the right to advertise and market itself in Eastern Asia.

Derek Galpin, managing director of the Canadian Tourism Commission, said, “We can’t do direct-consumer advertising. He compared the present system as operating with one hand tied behind his back. For the record, Niagara tourism depends heavily on the Asian market.

Apparently there are several factors for the deteriorating relations between China and the Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government didn’t help matters when - six months after taking office - it raised concerns about espionage by Chinese agents in Canada.

•••

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Beach Boys will be center stage at 1 p.m. today in Seneca Square (the former Lackey Plaza) in front of the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel.

The performance is expected to draw thousands of people to the South End for the afternoon.

•••

OUT OF THE PAST: “Soldiers of the Revolution,” a special weekend feature at Old Fort Niagara, continues again today with activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The living history demonstrators will show how the British forces lived and worked inside the fort during the Revolutionary period.

•••

MILESTONE: It was 50 years ago, Aug. 20, 1956, that the New York Power Authority applied to the Federal Power Commission for a license to operate the Niagara Project. That license expires in 2007.

Contact Don Glynn

at 282-2311, Ext. 2246.

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

2006-08-09T12:22:00.000-04:00

Thursday August 17
7pm
Spring street, Legion 479
Spring Street off Temperence between North and Ferry

What's on the Agenda:

-2006-2007 Budget
-Report on Negotiations
-Election of committees

-F-T JJE Maintainance
-Seasonal JJE
-Human Rights
-Constitution

- Updates, Updates, Updates

Be there, Our members are the Union.

What causes the mist rising from Niagara Falls?

2006-07-23T20:24:00.000-04:00

What causes the mist rising from Niagara Falls?

Studies blame high-rise hotels, temperature changes

Corey Binns / New York Times

>From his seventh-floor office at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Marcus Bursik can watch the mist rising from Niagara Falls, about 20 miles away. In size and shape, the mist resembles the volcano plumes Bursik studies as his primary topic of research.

Noticing that the dimensions of the Niagara plume changed from day to day, he decided to investigate them.

Across the border in Canada, the Niagara Parks Commission was doing the same thing for a different reason: Over the past decade, the number of misty days had more than doubled. The mist may have looked nice from a distance, but it was spattering patios, ruining Kodak moments and chasing tourists under awnings and umbrellas.

In 1996, the commission recorded 29 misty days, but by 2003 that number had risen to 68. Complaints from workers at outdoor restaurants were rising, too.

"People love to see the mist billowing up into the air," said John Kernahan, the commission's general manager, "but they're not happy when the mist starts coming over and getting them wet."

The two investigations reached very different conclusions, perhaps because they used very different methods.

In 2004, the Canadian parks commission hired Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin, an engineering firm, to study the problem by creating a scale model of the area in a wind tunnel.

The consultants determined that high-rise hotels sprouting on the Canadian side -- nine in the past decade -- were altering the airflow near the falls, drawing vapor toward the land and creating more days with rainlike conditions.

Temperature influences mist

Bursik, who began his research in 2002 and presented it in April at a conference sponsored by the university's Environment and Society Institute, applied the principles of volcanology.

It turned out, he said, that whether a plume rises from a waterfall or Mount Vesuvius, its size and shape are greatly influenced by differences in temperature.

"The plume at Niagara Falls," he said, "is just like any other plume."

At Niagara Falls, water roars over the edge and hits the water and rocks below, smashing into tiny droplets. When the water temperature is warmer than the air, the droplets mix with the air and warm it. The mixture expands, and the plume rises like a hot-air balloon. As it rises, the plume sucks in even more misty air.

The greater the temperature difference between the air and the water, Bursik said, the taller and bigger the plume will grow.

Volcano plumes work the same way, but the extreme difference in temperature between the air inside and outside a volcano, and the large amount of ash and pumice spewed, means the plumes can grow much larger than those at Niagara Falls, which can reach 3,500 feet.

Fall and winter bring the biggest plumes, when temperature differences between the air and the water are greatest. In late autumn, temperatures at Niagara begin to drop to 30-40 degrees, while water flowing into the Niagara River from Lake Erie retains its summer warmth, as high as 60 degrees.

Frigid winters envelop the region, and air temperatures can drop 30 degrees below zero, but the constant flow at the falls keeps the water from dipping below 32 degrees. Those temperature differences make more mist, Bursik said.

Two studies are different

To ensure that they were not ignoring any contributing factors, Bursik's research team measured the direction of the wind where the 2004 study reported the hotel-induced gust, but they found no change.

"Making scale models of things sometimes just doesn't work too well," he said. "Usually it's because you haven't gotten the conditions close enough to nature."

But Kernahan, of the Canadian parks agency, is not convinced.

"They are two different studies," he said. "One's about how big the mist is and one is about where it lands. We were looking at the day-to-day operational impacts of the mist."

U.S. golfers not up fore Niagara

2006-07-22T22:27:00.000-04:00

U.S. golfers not up fore Niagara

The Hamilton Spectator
(Jul 22, 2006)

The robust Canadian dollar is just one more kick in the teeth that Niagara golf courses didn't need.

From SARS to Mad Cow, to terrorism and border delays, Americans are coming up with more and more reasons not to come to Niagara to golf.

"They're so patriotic over there," says Tom Vanderlip, the director of operations at the Peninsula Lakes Golf and Country Club in Fonthill.

"I've even had people tell me they're not coming here because Canada didn't support the war effort in Iraq.

"At one time our play here was probably 50 per cent American. In 2003 when I started here, it was still between 30 and 40 per cent. Now it's between 15-18 per cent and it's flat."

And Peninsula Lakes isn't alone.

"In 2002 when we opened Legends on the Niagara, 42 per cent of our play was American, now it's 20 per cent," says Brian Moore, who is in charge of golf for Niagara Parks Commission.

The NPC was counting on the growth of American golf tourism when it built the course.

"When we opened (Legends), the Canadian dollar was 62 cents, now it's 90."

But Canadian golfers may find a silver lining in that dark cloud. Some peninsula courses have reduced green fees.

Others are offering specials to entice golfers from Hamilton and Toronto.

But operators are still trying to lure the American duffer.

Vanderlip said he has advertised in a Buffalo newspaper offering golf at 1982 prices.

"You have creative ideas to get them here," says Vanderlip. "We've done some things with the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills, things like, if the Bills win, you win with two-for-ones. You have to do all kinds of different things to entice them to come here."

Legends has dropped its regular greens fees from $140 to $125 this year, and even brought in one of the top teaching academies in North America, to provide high calibre instruction in the game.

Still, the Americans haven't come rushing back.

And Vanderlip isn't sure that he'll ever see the day again when half the cars in his parking lot have New York State plates.

"Most of the new courses built in Niagara are high-end, and both Buffalo and Rochester are depressed areas," he says, adding that there have been five or six courses built on the American side of the border in the past few years as well.

With 48 golf courses in Niagara, most operators agree that the area is at the saturation point.

And so where are all the golfers going to come from to fill all those tee times?

For starters, seven Niagara courses have banded together to form the Niagara Golf Trail, which offers stay-and-play packages.

And they're concentrating their efforts in Canada.

"We feel that a group effort is what will bring destination golf to the area," says Brian Antonsen, owner of Beechwood Golf Club and chair of the Niagara Golf Trail.

"I don't have any exact figures, but we're hoping it's making a dent," says Antonsen, of the bid to replace missing Americans with Canadians.

"For every few rounds we sell of destination golf, it helps fill the inventory we've lost to the U.S."

gMcKay@thespec.com

905-526-3242

PROVINCIAL PARKS

2006-07-02T20:09:00.000-04:00

PROVINCIAL PARKS

Mr. Gilles Bisson (Timmins-James Bay): My question is to the Minister of Natural Resources. Minister, you will know that last week there was a press conference here, sponsored by myself, in regard to the drastic cut in MNR seasonal staff and full-time staff who maintain our provincial parks in the province of Ontario. As you know, provincial parks are some of the places where Ontarians and others love to holiday, and especially for those with little income it's probably the only holiday they'll get.

I want to point out something that was in this press conference that I thought was interesting. It said, "`MNR is wiping out the equivalent of 226 full-time summer jobs out of a total of 1,189 seasonal and regular student workers,' said OPSEU president Leah Casselman. `It's atrocious. We thought cuts of this magnitude were gone with Mike Harris.'" People voted for change. Why are you acting like Mike Harris?

Hon. David Ramsay (Minister of Natural Resources, minister responsible for aboriginal affairs): Thanks for the compliment, there, at the end your question. I have to say to the member, in the context of your question, you really set up my answer, because I do appreciate that the provincial parks system is how many Ontarians of low income access the wonderful natural resources of Ontario. We have kept the costs down this year to what they were the year before, yet we have higher operating costs in energy and other expenses all the way through the park system. But I want to make sure that the Ontario parks system, being one of the best in the world, is accessible to everyone in this province.

Mr. Bisson: Listen, Minister, you can say all you want about reducing the amount of money spent year over year in provincial parks. The reality is that you're going to have far less staff maintaining our parks from the perspective of making sure those parks are well maintained so that we don't have garbage lying around and others, but there's also the issue of health and safety when it comes to those people visiting the parks. The fact is that you're reducing park staff by almost 20% over last year. I asked you a specific question: Why are you doing this? People did vote for change. You're acting just like Mike Harris did. When are you going to start acting as you were supposed to after the last election, and not like Mike Harris?

Hon. Mr. Ramsay: As the member knows, the parks system is one of two special-purpose accounts in the Ontario government, the other being revenues from angling and hunting. In that special-purpose account we're basically at a point where we're very close to being break-even now on the parks revenues coming in to operate those parks. We're trying to manage within that budget. Again I stay to the member that with increasing costs coming to the parks system, I think you'd be the first on your feet to criticize me if all of a sudden I had a large increase in camping fees that might make it prohibitive for many Ontario families to enter our parks system. So we're going to keep the fees down, and reasonable and affordable so that all Ontarians can access the Ontario provincial parks system.

The United States and Canada share one of the world’s longest borders.

2006-06-19T14:37:00.000-04:00

Introduction

The United States and Canada share one of the world’s longest borders. The two countries are each other’s largest trading partners. They share common values, business and family ties that make their relationship unique. Canadians and Americans regularly cross the border to work, shop, vacation and enjoy each other’s country.

Media reports generated by incidents such as the 9/11 tragedy, SARS and continued hostilities in the Middle East, have created negative perceptions and confusion in both countries about the length of time it takes to cross the border and the personal documentation required.

In April 2005, officials from the Departments of State and Homeland Security announced proposed new travel rules that called for Canadians to have a passport to travel to the U.S. and for U.S. citizens to have a passport to return to the States after visiting Canada.

President George W. Bush responded within days and was critical of the proposal stating that it could, “disrupt the honest flow of traffic.” Despite the President’s direction to find alternatives to the passport proposal, perceptions that Americans now require a passport have resulted in a sharp decline in cross border traffic on the Niagara frontier, one of the major economic and tourism gateways between the United States and Canada.

The Easy Crossing Council

In order to address the negative perceptions that there are long delays at the international bridges and that passports are required for citizens of either country to cross the border and return home, a consortium of major tourism and border partners in Canada’s Niagara region have come together to form the Easy Crossing Council (ECC). The mandate of the council is to aggressively and comprehensively combat the misconceptions and negative media reports about the difficulty of cross border travel.

Founding members of the Easy Crossing Council include: The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority (Peace Bridge Authority), The Niagara Parks Commission, The Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce, Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara. The ECC has adopted the slogan “No Passport/Few Delays” and will communicate its message to residents in border states including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.

The ECC’s communications campaign will include: paid media and advertising, public relations, distribution of border crossing advisory cards through a concierge program and sponsorships, as well as outreach to media, hospitality and tourism operators. The ECC will also call on government officials in Washington to seriously consider the impact on trade and tourism when making decisions about travel documentation requirements. U.S. hospitality and tourism operators in border markets have also been negatively impacted by a decline in Canadian visitation. The ECC will call upon U.S. tourism partners and operators to join the ECC in its effort to combat misconceptions on border crossing issues.

Review of Statistics and Perceptions

The Easy Crossing Council has compiled the following facts and statistics that indicate a gap exists between perception and reality over border crossing issues. The two key perceptions this Report will address are:

Long delays are routine in crossing the border.
Passports are required for U.S. and Canadian citizens to cross the border and return home.

Border Crossing Perceptions
A June 2005 report commissioned for the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation stated that 17% of Americans in key U.S. markets are less inclined to travel to Ontario because of perceived difficulty/delays at the border.

-Travel Intention Study Report Summer ’05 Intentions TNS Canadian Facts

Border Crossing Realities

The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission and the Peace Bridge Authority compiled the following statistics between May and June 2005. Overall, there are generally minimal to no delays (i.e. a few minutes) in either direction at Niagara’s three border crossings.

Overall

90% of the time there is no delay for cars at Niagara Border Crossings.
87% of the time there is no delay for trucks and buses at Niagara Border Crossings.

Crossing Into Canada

91% of the time there is minimal or no delay for cars crossing into Canada.
88% of the time there is minimal or no delay for trucks and buses crossing into Canada.

Crossing Into the U.S.

89% of the time there is minimal or no delay for cars crossing into the U.S.
85% of the time there is minimal or no delay for trucks and buses crossing into the U.S.

Instances of Long Delays

3.5% of the time there are delays of 30 minutes or longer for cars at Niagara Border Crossings.
2.5% of the time there are delays of 30 minutes or longer for trucks and buses at Niagara Border Crossings.

Crossing Times By Bridge
The following are crossing times by each of Niagara’s three unrestricted border crossings:

Lewiston-Queenston

84% of the time there are minimal or no delays for cars.
90% of the time there are minimal or no delays for trucks and buses.

Rainbow Bridge

90% of the time there are minimal or no delays for cars.

Peace Bridge

97% of the time there minimal or delays for cars.
84% of the time there are minimal or no delays for trucks and buses.

Border Documentation Perceptions

A June 2005 report commissioned for the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Recreation offered the following findings:

33% of Americans in key markets believe passports are required for travel between Canada and the U.S.
68% of Americans in key markets believe passports will be required by the beginning of 2008 for travel between Canada and the U.S.

-Travel Intention Study Report Summer ’05 Intentions TNS Canadian Facts

Border Documentation Realities

Although the U.S. Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act proposes a requirement for U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to present appropriate security identification and citizenship documentation when entering the United States, this does not necessarily constitute a passport.

The U.S. Department of State indicates on the Department website that, “Travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada will be required to have a passport or other secure, accepted documents to enter or re-enter the United States.”

However, there is currently no passport requirement for U.S. visitors to Canada. U.S. President Bush believes that there is flexibility in the law and has concerns for the impact on the legal flow of traffic and people. Citizens of the United States and Canada should carry proof of citizenship such as:

Birth Certificate
Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization
Photo Identification
Valid Visa
Letter of joint custody for children
Letter of permission with phone number for parents of children that are not yours but traveling with you

Passports can also be used and permanent resident of the U.S. should bring their Permanent
Resident Card (i.e., Green Card) with them.

Impact of Negative Perceptions on Travel

The negative perceptions about cross border travel have resulted in less cross border travel by Americans and Canadians. Each month of 2005 has resulted in declines over the previous year. Recent statistics released by Statistics Canada on July 20, 2005 show that for May 2005 both Canadians and U.S. citizens took fewer trips compared to the previous year.

U.S. visitors to Ontario dropped 9% since last May to 1.6 million. The decline includes both same-day and overnight visitors.
For the first five months of 2005, the number of Americans visiting Ontario fell 8% over the same period in 2004 and 12% over the same time in 2003.
There has been a 7% decrease in overnight visitors to Ontario since last May.
Recent Statistics Canada figures indicate that day trips to Canada in May '05 have fallen to the third lowest level in 30 years.
Canadians also took fewer trips to the U.S. with Canadian travel falling to 3.1 million trips in May, down 0.4% compared to April.
American travel to Canada reached a nine-month low in May with 2.7 million Americans visiting Canada, representing a 1.5% decrease from April.

Other Activities and Initiatives of the Easy Crossing Council

Following the release of the Easy Crossing Report, the ECC will be undertaking a number of initiatives to get the message out about crossing the border and about the required documentation needed for both Canadian and American citizens. These initiatives include:

A Concierge/Hospitality program to arm hospitality operators and workers with the facts about how to make crossing the border as easy as possible;
Distribution of the border crossing advisory cards;
Outreach to U.S. media, tourism and hospitality operators;
Set up of an FM frequency with border crossing information;
Outreach to U.S. government officials; and
Paid media campaign in key drive time U.S. markets.

The Easy Crossing Council Members

Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort
The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission
The Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce
The Niagara Parks Commission
The Peace Bridge Authority
Casino Niagara

Border Crossing Takes Less Than Ten Minutes, No Passport Required, Says Easy Crossing Council

2006-06-19T13:59:00.000-04:00

Border Crossing Takes Less Than Ten Minutes, No Passport Required, Says Easy Crossing Council
Report reveals misconceptions about delays and passport requirements by U.S.
Citizens at Canadian/U.S. Border Crossings

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- In a report prepared to
combat negative perceptions held by American residents over border delays and
the notion passports are now a requirement to enter Canada, the Easy Crossing
Council (ECC) tabled findings today which indicate there are minimal to no
delays being experienced by vehicles entering Canada at Niagara's border
crossings.
The report states a typical crossing into Canada takes less than ten
minutes and that there are no delays being experienced for cars crossing
Niagara's three bridges for visitors (The Peace Bridge, The Rainbow Bridge and
the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge) 90% of the time. The report also reinforced
that passports are not a requirement for U.S. citizens entering Canada or
returning to the U.S.
The Easy Crossing Council was formed to combat misconceptions about cross
border travel between Canada and the United States along the Niagara frontier
and consists of five organizations including: The Buffalo and Fort Erie Peace
Bridge Authority, The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, The Niagara Parks
Commission, The Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce, Casino Niagara and Niagara
Fallsview Casino Resort.
"Concerns about the border have created a decline in U.S. visitors to
Canada, and Canadians into the U.S. so we're working hard to dispel
misconceptions," said Tom Garlock, General Manager of the Niagara Falls Bridge
Commission, operators of the Queenston-Lewiston and Rainbow Bridges. "The
fact is, in nearly all cases you can cross the border between Canada and the
U.S. in less than ten minutes," he added.
"We're getting out there with accurate information," said Steve
Wolstenholme, General Manager of Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. "The border
is a non-issue and there's lots for people to see and do here in Niagara
Falls. Worries about the border and passports shouldn't deter Americans from
visiting this summer."
"Longer delays during peak periods are no different than traveling on
Interstate and 400-series highways during peak periods," said Ron Rienas,
General Manager with the Buffalo and Fort Erie Peace Bridge Authority.
"Both U.S. and Canadian citizens base their perceptions of border
congestion on information they have heard immediately following incidents such
as the tragic events of 9/11 and SARs," said Joel Noden, Senior Director with
the Niagara Parks Commission. "This new report should help convince our
citizens that crossing the border is quicker and easier than most people
think."
Compounding the concerns over border delays is a U.S. Department of State
proposal, announced this spring, that would require U.S. citizens and foreign
nationals to present appropriate security identification when entering the
U.S. This requirement is posted on the U.S. Department of State website.
Publicity surrounding this proposal has led many Americans and Canadians to
believe that there is a passport requirement for cross border travel.
"Neither American or Canadian citizens need a passport to cross the border
or return home and it isn't likely that they will," said Carolyn Bones,
President of the Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce. "When the President of
the United States voices concerns on a passport requirement and calls for a
more flexible approach, it sends a pretty strong signal," she added.
Recent Statistics Canada figures indicate that day trips to Canada in May
'05 have fallen to the third lowest level in 30 years. Canadians also took
fewer trips to the U.S. with Canadian travel falling to 3.1 million trips in
May, down 0.4% compared to April.
U.S. visitors to Ontario dropped 9% over last May to 1.6 million. The
decline accounts for both same-day and overnight visitors. For the first five
months of 2005, the number of Americans visiting Ontario fell 8% over the same
period in 2004 and 12% over the same time in 2003 at the height of the SARS
outbreak.
The Easy Crossing Council's mandate is to correct the misconceptions of
Americans and Canadians living within a day's drive of Niagara with facts
about the ease of crossing the border and to reinforce Niagara Falls, Canada
as an accessible and fun destination.
The ECC has adopted the slogan "No Passport/Few Delays" and are launching
a media campaign, including advertising, information cards, a border crossing
tip sheet, sponsorships and media outreach to communicate its message with
residents in the U.S. border states adjacent to Ontario: Michigan, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and New York.
To download a copy of the ECC Report of the report please visit
http://www.oeb.com/ecc_report

To view The ECC's print ad please visit http://www.oeb.com/ecc_ad



101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 448-8000

PEOPLE MOVER SYSTEM

2006-06-09T20:07:00.000-04:00

People mover progress gets NPC approval

BY RAY SPITERI
For: www.niagarafallsreview.ca

Local News - Tuesday, March 28, 2006 @ 02:00

NIAGARA FALLS Plans to create a new People Mover System received another boost Friday when Niagara Parks Commission members voted to move to the next phase in a mass transit system project.

The commission’s approval came off the heels of last Monday’s city council meeting, where its members voted to authorize a second round of bids from three companies that have already expressed interest in building and operating a system to replace the fleet of green buses the NPC runs along the Niagara Parkway.

“The people mover project is entering a new phase where a request for proposal will be developed and submitted to three bidders, so they can prepare a bid,” said John Kernahan, parks commission general manager.

The parks commission owns some of the land on which a new system would run and operate the existing transit system through the tourism area.

The request for proposal is scheduled to be completed for October and will be developed by the City of Niagara Falls, the Niagara Parks Commission, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and Falls Management Company.

“The RFP will give direction to the bidders, as well as make clear the specifications of the project,” said Kernahan.

“It will also give the bidders some leeway as it relates to coming up with an innovative design to best meet the needs of the project.”

It has been decided the system should run at ground level as opposed to an elevated track and that the north end of the alignment, near the Maid of the Mist plaza and Clifton Hill, be looped.

A decision on whether to make it a fixed-rail system like a trolley or a rubber-tired system like a bus is still up in the air.

Mitsubishi Consortium, Niagara Greenway Consortium and SNC Lavalin Engineers and Constructors are the three companies short-listed for the project.

Depending on the design, a new system could be running by 2009 or 2010, one consultant said.

For years, the city, parks commission and tourism industry have been wrestling with a way to move the growing number of tourists along a 10.5-kilometre loop connecting casino Niagara, Marineland and Table Rock House.

Kernahan said since the 1960s there has been a common vision to create a transit system which would reduce traffic congestion and provide a “comfortable, affective and affordable service for tourists who want to enjoy some of the city’s amenities.

“There have been many steps to bring us to where we are today and there will be many more before our final vision is accomplished.”

Kernahan said about 26,000 vehicles travel along the parkway each day during the peak months of July and August.

“The Niagara Parkway is not a public highway. It’s open to the public, but it’s a private road and it doesn’t serve the same purpose as the QEW or the 420.

“We want a park with a road through it rather than a road with a park around it.”

Kernahan said during the next several months, the four partners will explore all of the issues surrounding the request for proposal.

NIAGARA'S UP AND DOWN IN TOURISM

2006-06-03T20:00:00.000-04:00

Niagara's wheel of fortune

Gas prices, U.S. passport law threaten to end winning streak, writes Susan Pigg

Jun. 3, 2006. 01:00 AM

NIAGARA FALLS, Ont.—Tour bus driver Chris Kennedy is as refreshing a fixture in this Vegas of the north as the cool mist that blows off the Horseshoe Falls.

As he navigates his coach through the "new Niagara," the veteran tour guide and local resident positively overflows with tidbits of advice and humorous warnings.

"Here's Marineland," Kennedy says motioning to the 45-year-old kids' theme park. "It will cost you $32 just to walk around the grounds. And I hope you bring your own hot dog because it will cost you $7.50 — and God help you if you need ketchup or mustard."

Use your credit card to get the most for your weaker greenback, he warns the largely American crowd; don't park downtown; be mindful that menus are in two prices — Canadian and American.

"Free is a dirty word in Niagara," Kennedy bellows into his microphone as passengers burst into laughter and shake their heads knowingly. "You pay me to tell you the truth, and that's what I'm here for, okey-dokey?"

Kennedy is, in fact, a great ambassador for Niagara Falls. He not only tells it as it is, but how it used to be before Niagara Falls hit the jackpot a decade ago thanks to Casino Niagara.

"It's been fantastic — just out of this world," says Kennedy of the more than $3 billion in new hotels and attractions that now tower over the falls, including a second casino, the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, that opened two years ago.

"I get a lot of locals who take the tour just to learn about their own city. They can't believe how much we've got here now," says Kennedy.

And the list keeps growing.

Just since mid-April, two massive new water parks have added to the wet and wild fun here — the 125,000-square-foot Fallsview Indoor Waterpark near the falls, and the 103,000-square-foot Bear Track Landing at Great Wolf Lodge on the edge of town. (See K12 for details.)

The 53-metre SkyWheel — touted as the biggest Ferris wheel in North America — opens June 17 on Clifton Hill, offering visitors a stunning new $10 million vista of the falls from its 42 heated and air-conditioned gondolas.

Cirque Niagara — a $10 million mix of Cirque du Soleil-like artistry and equestrian theatrics on some of the world's rarest horses — just opened its show, Avaia, under a new, 1,500-seat big top in Rapidsview park, across from Marineland.

And the area's many wineries are being showcased for the first time at the Queenston Heights Restaurant, 11 kilometres north of the falls, where a new 1,200-bottle wine cellar and tasting room is aimed at becoming "the gateway to Niagara's wineries," featuring the best of more than 50 area vintners.

At least six major new hotel projects are planned for the downtown, including a 59-storey addition to the Hilton Hotel. All of that will boost the number of rooms to almost 15,000 — double what was here before the first casino opened in 1996.

A "people mover" — with a track that will loop around the downtown and connect to outlying parking lots — is expected to get final approval soon. And Clifton Hill, once the honky-tonk heart of the "honeymoon capital of the world" continues to undergo a major makeover.

"Niagara Falls used to be for nearly deads and newlyweds. Now it's kind of a hip place to be," says Joel Noden, executive director of marketing and business development for the Niagara Parks Commission.

"We tell people if they haven't been here in the last five years, they haven't been to Niagara Falls. It's become a completely different city. It's no longer just a day trip."

Tourism officials used to talk about "the magic 100 days."

"We used to have tourism here from May 24 to Labour Day, and then basically in winter we would close up," says former mayor Wayne Thomson, who was defeated after spearheading much of the development. "We always had a dream of year-round tourism and turning Niagara Falls into a world-class destination. But up until the casino came (with year-round entertainment), there was no way anyone could afford to put up $40 million and $50 million hotels."

Now 14 million people a year, almost half of them Americans, flock to this city of just 79,000 residents.

Predictions had been that the number of visitors would hit 30 million by 2016. But that was before the triple whammy of outlandish gas prices, the strong Canadian dollar and — most importantly — the Bush government's planned Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

That new program, which is still under intense debate in the States, will require all travellers, including U.S. citizens, to have a passport or "other accepted (ID) document" to cross the border into the U.S., most likely by June, 2009.

The new program has caused fear here on many levels: No one knows for certain yet what "other accepted document" means, or what it will cost. What is well known is that few U.S. citizens own passports, and that it would be ridiculously expensive for a family to get the documents for a day trip to Clifton Hill (60 per cent of tourists are still day-trippers, although overnight stays are growing.)

But what's got everyone here most worried is that 60 per cent of U.S. citizens (according to a survey done by Niagara tourism officials) believe the initiative is already in effect.

"We've had comments that people think they're going to have to leave their kids at the border if they don't have a passport," says Noden.

Niagara Falls is expected to be harder hit by the initiative than any other Canadian border city. Last year alone it saw a 15 per cent drop in the number of visitors from the U.S., and there are fears that when the new border controls finally are in place, 1 million fewer Americans will visit here.

Already Vancouver businessman Jimmy Pattison has put a planned new aquarium — the second phase of his 406-room Great Wolf Lodge resort development — on hold indefinitely.

"Right now Niagara Falls is in a sort of limbo as people watch what's happening. Niagara Falls is very susceptible because it relies on cross-border business," says Bob Masterson, president of Ripley's Niagara Water Park Resort, which won the rights to build Canada's first Great Wolf Resort.

"We're committed to doing the aquarium, if we understand what the exposure is with the border controls."

Harry Oakes' family owns almost 13 hectares of prime downtown real estate, including the site of the new SkyWheel, and hopes to eventually add more family attractions and a 30-storey hotel. He and his brother Philip say they are committed to improving the offerings for families along Clifton Hill, which is why they spent $10 million on the huge spinning "icon attraction," but are cautious.

"When you look at business, you have to look at market conditions. The passport issue is a wild card right now."

Noden has spent much of the past year selling Niagara Falls overseas, especially in Asia, and says so far the city has largely offset the drop in U.S. traffic with more visitors from Japan, China, Korea, France and Germany.

But there's a growing sense here — especially among locals — that Niagara Falls has gambled too heavily on the casinos and could pay a heavy price. Already it's facing stiff competition from a new U.S. casino right across the river where gamblers can smoke (it's just been banned here) and toss back free drinks (banned under liquor laws.)

Thomson argues that prices here are in line with other major tourist destinations such as Vegas and Orlando. But even local business people, such as Marineland founder John Holer, are concerned that the Lundy's Lane motel area is becoming the only option for families because most can't afford the new high-rise hotels, which can go for $300 to $800 a night.

"It's absolutely ungodly expensive here for everything, especially with the exchange rate," says Texan Heather Daley, after spending $50 for two room-service breakfasts. "I told my husband this morning, I think we've spent more on this trip (per day) than on our honeymoon, and we went to Australia."

Masterson acknowledges that affordability is an issue for families and says his water park resort — where rooms average more than $300 a night — is looking at ways to cut costs.

Great Wolf also plans to subsidize American families when the new passport rules take effect, by providing them with all the ID application forms they need, and taking the price off the room rates, he said.

"It's a one-time thing," he says of the unusual move. "We're just one company. It's going to take the actions of everybody here doing something like this.

"There's got to be an end to what gambling can bring to a community. If we ever lose the thing that made Niagara Falls so special — the natural beauty and the families coming down to see it, and all those attractions along the Niagara Gorge and even up Clifton Hill — if we ever lose that as a focus, and don't keep the place affordable, we will lose our competitive advantage.

"And there are a lot of other places where people can go."

Susan Pigg is associate travel editor. spigg@thestar.ca

MAY GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

2006-06-01T15:48:00.000-04:00

Minutes from May 18

General membership meeting

Executive members present:

President, Bill Rudd, Vice President, Ian Mather, Chief Steward, Barb Wilson, Treasurer, Marie Stokes, Secretary, Fred Hopkins

Members present: 123

1) Call to order

2) Adoption of agenda

3) Presidents report

4) Secretary’s report

5) Selection of Stewards

6) Election for Executives, Negotiating team, Trustees

7) New and old business

8) Adjournment

Reading of acceptance of all people

Motion to accept agenda Anne Cunningham, second by Gary Vanderclay

Presidents’ report

Thanks to all executive for the effort and progress made over the past 3 years

Election of stewards to begin and is accepted by all members

Motion to accept Fernando Fortino second by Bill Burns

Stewards Nominated to be sworn in at future Stewards’ meeting

Fred Hopkins Maureen Ellis

Ian Mather Andrew Lacasse

Bill Rudd Robin Watson

Barb Wilson Mike McAndrew

Marie Stokes Rob Knight

Carey Gore Penny Berketa

Shelley Reed Ronnie Fawcet

Colleen Cotter Darlane Johnston

Jenn Sanderson Anita Simonetti

Bill Burns Glenn Davis

Colin MacKenzie

Placido Iammarino

Desiree Constandides

Motion to accept stewards; Fernando Fortino second by Bill Burns

Elections for Executive

President Bill Rudd – accepted the nomination and will be president for his second term

Other nominees that declined to run:

Ian Mather, Bill Burns and Marie Stokes…

Vice President - Ian Mather – accepted the nomination and will be vice for his second term

Colin MacKenzie and Bill Burns declined their nominations

Chief Steward –Barb Wilson accepted and will be entering her second term

Randy Aird and Fernando Fortino both declined

Secretary –Maureen Ellis and Jenn Sanderson both accepted their nominations; Jenn Sanderson is the new Secretary.

Shelley Reed, Ronnie Fawcett and Fred Hopkins declined their nominations

Motion to destroy ballots Ian Mather second by Barb Wilson accepted…

Negotiating Team

Two highest votes –Full time and seasonal

Treasurer –Marie Stokes accepted her nomination and continues her devotion to the union

Trustees

Anne Cunningham, Patty Hicks, Judy Cant and Madeline Towne all ran for two positions. Patty Hicks and Judy Cant won the election.

Scrutineers were Vince Stranges and Ronnie Fawcett

50/50 draw –Gary Johnstone from Rapidsview

Motion to destroy ballots Don Muma, second by Ian Mather

Negotiating Team

Colin MacKenzie, Barb Wilson, Shelly Reed, Joe Masendrea, Desiree Constanindides…Seasonal alternate: Robin Watson Full Time: Gary Bird.

Scrutineers Byron Brisson, Ian Mather, Don Muma and supervised by Anne Cunningham.

Motion to destroy ballots; ballots destroyed…

Old Business

Mediations improper exclusions still in arbitration in Toronto. Another 38 days from the time of this meeting, resolution should be reached.

18 positions in dispute

JJE to meet with seasonals, Barb arranging free meeting sites on parks property

New Business

Demand set meeting June 22^nd, 2006 for contract negotiations.

Motion to carry for set up of meeting/passed.

Strike team to be decided during negotiations. Possibly for the next general membership meeting a decision will be made…

Adoption of different language from different companies to help with negotiations.

A letter to be drafted to Dave Morris about an extra staff shuttle bus from RV to TR between 8:15 and 9am.

Motion to destroy ballots Bill Burns, 2^nd passed by Anne Cunningham.

Meeting adjourned…

CIRQUE NIAGARA GOOD OR BAD?

2006-05-30T18:18:00.000-04:00

BUFFALO NEWS

Horses thrill, clowns bore in Cirque Niagara's 'Avaia'

By ANNE NEVILLE
News Staff Reviewer
5/23/2006

Cirque Niagara's "Avaia" includes spectacular horses, world-class acrobats and droll clowns - how could you go wrong?

Only very slightly, it turns out, with too little of the first and way too much of the last, and an opening segment with far too many slow-paced clown skits.

Perhaps hoping to ease viewers into the magical fantasy world where anything can happen, the circus opened with a clown languidly throwing imaginary pebbles into an imaginary pool, then a second clown emerging from under a bench, setting the bench on end and climbing to the top.

It was amusing-ish, and the crowd applauded politely when the clowns finished. But there was a sharp gasp when three sets of gorgeous costumed horses thundered into the ring, each ridden Roman-style by an elaborately masked figure - standing with a foot on the back of each horse. This was what we came to see.

The equestrian spectacle was followed by a group of acrobats who flowed into indescribable (and nearly unimaginable) towering arrangements. In a three-person-tall human pyramid, the top performer might support herself by a single hand on the head of the man below, for example - and then raise her body into a handstand on that hand.

Other highlights of the first act included two performers in German wheels, two large metal hoops joined by short bars on which the acrobats not only stood, but jumped, twisted and somersaulted. A springy runway trampoline enabled tumblers to sail through the air, and one who turned so many revolutions that his body was a blur drew spontaneous applause and cheers. Three acrobatic men balanced tall metal poles on their foreheads as three women scampered to the top, where they did handstands or hung by a foot.

Unfortunately, after each breathtaking acrobatic and athletic act, the pace of the show was derailed by lengthy clown meanderings. Having them entertain while equipment was moved into place was understandable, but the clowns took up far too much time with their slow-paced, tedious buffoonery. In one unfunny, overplayed and suggestive skit, a clown used a fishing pole baited with a large dollar sign as a lure for an attractive blond woman in the audience.

The very front seats in the big top are rows of padded folding chairs set in railed-in boxes, which obstruct the view of people seated in the front rows of the bleachers behind them. Few critical things happened at floor level, but some did, and missing the action was frustrating.

Although five horses made a magnificent spectacle as they were led into the ring and paraded around by robed figures, and three ethereal light-colored horses made a couple of quick dashes around the ring, the hourlong first act was short on equines. The highlight was a massive Russian Heavy Horse named Ronald who moved gracefully around the ring at speed while agile acrobats vaulted on and off his broad back.

The pace picked up considerably after the intermission, and the short 37-minute second segment was one galloping thrill after another. An incredible display of Cossack riding, with acrobats riding every way except astride a saddle, had people whistling and cheering. And if I hadn't seen one man spring from a standing position on the floor to a standing position on the saddle of a running horse, I would not have believed it could be done. The seven horsemen drew a well deserved standing ovation.

With a few trims and some pacing changes, the entire show could maintain that level of thrills. But a shorter show might eliminate the need for an intermission and the opportunity to buy snacks and souvenirs.

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT PLANNED

2006-05-26T16:15:00.000-04:00

Parks head tells Rotary big plan to be revealed soon

BY JENNIFER PELLEGRINI Review Staff Writer

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE -The Niagara Parks Commission will spend half-a-billion dollars over the next 10 years to give tourists and locals more reasons to play in Niagara parks - including a "major announcement" coming this summer.

"Obviously, I can't tell you what that is just now, but stay tuned," Niagara Parks Commission chairman Jim Williams said Tuesday, during an address to the Niagara Falls Rotary Club at the Queenston Heights Restaurant.

Niagara Parks Commission chairman Jim Williams was the guest speaker at the Niagara Falls Rotary Club's May luncheon, held at the Queenston Heights Restaurant Tuesday.

At least part of that money will be used to restore the Toronto Power and Canadian Niagara Power buildings along the rive which the NPC will acquire in the next couple of years.

The CNP building in particular, Williams said earlier this year, is in pristine condition, and would be the ideal spot for a museum dedicated to Niagara's connection to the history of hydro-electric power.

The Parks will also obtain a third power station building located in the gorge, which will be destroyed to "return the gorge to its natural state," Williams said.

While those projects are in the future; there are plans in the works for at least one new attraction for the summer of 2006.

"Moonlight movies" will be shown in the Oakes Garden Theatre this July and August, with midnight screenings of popular films.

During his half-hour speech, Williams stressed the importance of revenue generation to the NPC which does not receive any government funding.

Money made by admission fees to six attractions, as well as from parking lots, golf courses, gift shops, restaurants and cafeterias is used for roads and infrastructure maintenance throughout the NPC network, which extends 56 kilometres along the Niagara Parkway from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Fort Erie.

Last year alone, the NPC invested $1.9 million in Queen Victoria Park, $725,000 in public washrooms in NPC facilities, $850,000 in greenhouses and $250,000 on the floral clock, Williams said.

"(Making money to support capital investments and infrastructure upgrades) is becoming more and more of a challenge," he said. "So we must find new ways to generate revenue.",

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT PLANNED

2006-05-26T16:08:00.000-04:00

Parks head tells Rotary big plan to be revealed soon

BY JENNIFER PELLEGRINI Review Staff Writer

Niagara Parks Commission chairman Jim Williams was the guest speaker at the Niagara Falls Rotary Club's May luncheon, held at the Queenston Heights Restaurant Tuesday.

At least part of that money will be used to restore the Toronto Power and Canadian Niagara Power buildings along the river which the NPC will acquire in the next couple of years.

The Parks will also obtain a third power station building located in the gorge, which will be destroyed to "return the gorge to its natural state," Williams said.

While those projects are in the future; there are plans in the works for at least one new attraction for the summer of 2006.

"Moonlight movies" will be shown in the Oakes Garden Theatre this July and August, with midnight screenings of popular films.

During his half-hour speech, Williams stressed the importance of revenue generation to the NPC which does not receive any government funding.

Last year alone, the NPC invested $1.9 million in Queen Victoria Park, $725,000 in public washrooms in NPC facilities, $850,000 in greenhouses and $250,000 on the floral clock, Williams said.

"(Making money to support capital investments and infrastructure upgrades) is becoming more and more of a challenge," he said. "So we must find new ways to generate revenue.",

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT PLANNED

2006-05-26T16:03:00.000-04:00