Believe it or not: There really does seem to be a deal on $50-million people mover for Niagara Falls

From Bullet News Niagara: Niagara Falls council went behind closed doors late Tuesday afternoon for a special meeting to receive an update on the status of the people-mover project – the $50-million transit system for tourists that is being developed in partnership with the Niagara Parks Commission. Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said Tuesday night…

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NPC conducted ‘inappropriate, unacceptable’ actions: Auditors

From the Niagara Falls Review: Two provincial audits into the Niagara Parks Commission concluded “some of the actions taken by former staff were inappropriate and unacceptable.” The audits, conducted during the past several months by the Ministry of Finance and publicly released Friday, look into past executive expenses, procurement practices and revenue generating opportunities at…

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New GM for NPC

From Niagara This Week: After a short game of musical chairs at the Niagara Parks Commission, Fay Booker has begun her duties as the general manager. While holding the position of chair of the NPC, Booker put her name forward for the staff position after the departure of former GM John Kernahan. For her, it…

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Crossing Niagara, the return journey

From The Independent (in the UK): It takes a cool head, impeccable balance, and plenty of self-confidence to walk unaided across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Unfortunately, for daredevil Nik Wallenda, it also requires formal permission from local bureaucrats. The 32-year-old circus performer is bidding to become the first person in more than a century…

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Boat tour procurement process ‘free from any apparent bias’: Fairness commissioner

From the Niagara Falls Review: The Niagara Parks Commission has been fair, open and transparent so far in a procurement process that will eventually lead to the selection of an organization to operate boat tours in the Niagara gorge, says a government-appointed fairness commissioner. In the first of what is expected to be four reports,…

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Niagara Falls high-wire plans could go haywire

From the Toronto Star: A daredevil’s plan to be the first person in a century to walk a tightrope across Niagara Falls may take a tumble even though it’s just gotten off the ground. Nik Wallenda, a seventh-generation member of the Flying Wallendas, a family of tightrope performers, is hoping to fulfill a lifelong dream…

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Falls Parks: Canada Thrives, U.S. Struggles

From WNED-AM 970 NEWS: On one side of Niagara Falls, state parks need $85 million in repairs while on the Ontario side millions of dollars are going into renovation of Old Fort Erie and the Laura Secord House. WNED’s Mike Desmond talked with the Chairwoman of the Niagara Parks Commission, Fay Booker, about the difference….

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Booker chosen as new NPC general manager

From the Niagara Falls Review: After more than a year as chairwoman of the Niagara Parks Commission, Fay Booker has a new job. The Burlington accountant and management consultant has been selected by the commission’s search committee as Niagara Parks’ new general manager. The announcement was made official Thursday. She fills the vacancy left by…

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Should experienced high-wire walker be allowed to cross the falls?

From the Niagara Falls Review: Since he was a boy Nik Wallenda has dreamed of walking over Niagara Falls on a tightrope. “It’s just something I’ve wanted to do my entire life,” said Wallenda, 32, a U.S.-based highwire walker who hopes to do a 2,200-foot crossing of the Niagara River Gorge and Horseshoe Falls next…

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Ontario tourism minister didn’t force people-mover deal on Parks Commission: Niagara Falls MPP

From Bullet News Niagara: A pending deal between the City of Niagara Falls and the Niagara Parks Commission to create a new people-mover bus system to service the millions of visitors to the Honeymoon Capital each year was no shotgun wedding. While Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor acknowledges he and Ontario Tourism Minister Michael Chan…

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