From the Niagara Falls Review: The $395,000 expenses claimed by recently departed Niagara Parks Commission executive Joel Noden are expected to come up during Question Period at Queen’s Park this morning, staff in NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said. The Globe and Mail reported Noden, formerly the revenue, marketing and business development manager, racked up close…
I heard about this originally this morning on the Buffalo NPR station. From WKBW Channel 7 in Buffalo (includes a video): In Niagara Falls, the term “Cataract City’ takes on new meaning after two sea lions become the first in the area to receive a unique eye surgery. Thousands of guests come to the Aquarium…
From the Niagara Falls Review: As families started checking into their hotels Monday for what has become a Niagara fall tradition, organizer Jim Diodati says this will be “an odd year” for Sleep Cheap, Charities Reap. “It has been great, especially having the water parks all on board and having a great big inventory. It’s…
From the Niagara Falls Review: The head of Niagara’s tourism marketing organization says it has been “as transparent as we can” and insists it played by the rules when it issued a $500,000 untendered contract to publish a promotional magazine. “I trust the folks around this table. They vetted it and decided it was a…
From the Niagara Falls Review: More changes in senior management are coming up at the Niagara Parks Commission where two of its nine directors have left recently, says chairwoman Fay Booker. The sudden departure of revenue, marketing and business development director Joel Noden Tuesday and the planned retirement of engineer Nick Murphy mean there are…
From the Niagara Falls Review: Whatever information Niagara’s regional tourism organization used to justify an “exception” from the province’s ban on single-source contracts, it should be disclosed to the public to ensure public confidence in the agency, Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor says. “I think that the chairman of the board should explain to the…
From Niagara This Week: Niagara Parks Commission Chairwoman Fay Booker has no immediate plans to replace departed Parks executive Joel Noden – at least not until the provincial agency goes through an extensive strategic planning process. “We’ll have to see,” Booker said Tuesday. “This isn’t our busiest time of the year. We’re coming into some…
From the Niagara Falls Review: Some “exceptions” to Premier Dalton McGuinty’s 2009 rule requiring all government contracts to be subject to competitive bids allowed Niagara’s tourism agency to spend $500,000 on an untendered contract to publish a promotional magazine, says Tourism Minister Michael Chan. “There are exceptions in terms of single-source procurement,” Chan said Wednesday…
From the Niagara Falls Review: Joel Noden, one of the Niagara Parks Commission’s nine-member senior management team, left the provincial agency Tuesday. “Joel has decided to look at some other interests he has,” said Fay Booker, the chairwoman of the provincial agency. He left the commission Tuesday, but Booker wouldn’t say whether it was his…
From the Toronto Star: It’s Canada’s largest illuminated lights festival, with more than three million tree and ground lights twinkling in the Winter Wonderland. It features not only the world’s largest Canadian-American flag but also Canada’s largest illuminated menorah. This year, the more than 120 illuminated and animated light displays that make up Niagara Falls…