Wow! What is going on over there?! For the last 2 weeks there has been story after story after story about problems at the Niagara Parks Commission. On Monday the dismissed 4 of the commissioners. Here are some accompanying news stories: ‘It’s time to change it all up,’ says Gale – Niagara Falls Review Gale…
From Niagara This Week: The weekend GO trains which ran into St. Catharines and Niagara Falls during the past two summers will become a regular occurance. Earlier this month, GO Transit announced the summer service, which saw four trains a weekend coming to the region from Toronto, will become a part of its regular network….
I haven’t posted much for a few days, but I’ve got a bunch of links for more articles about the Niagara Parks Commission expenses “scandal” as well as the non-tendered contract for the magazine. Bullet Media – Cleaning up the mess at the Niagara Parks Commission Niagara Falls Review – Former NPC executive breaks silence…
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 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: High-rise hotels, like the 53-storey Hilton that opened last year, have replaced smokestacks as the symbol of where the jobs are in Niagara Falls. It’s a sign of Niagara’s changing economy and evidence municipal leaders have to be able to adapt to new economic trends, say experts who monitor the…
I’ve said this a couple of times this summer, but I didn’t have any hard numbers to back me up… From the Niagara Falls Review: The latest figures from Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism show a modest increase in American visitation to Ontario during June compared to a year earlier when stricter border-crossing regulations came into…
I know that summer doesn’t officially end in this part of the world until September 21, but in this tourist area it might as well be over. The beginning of September and the passing of Labour Day makrs the beginning of school. That means that family vacations are no more. The weekends might still be…