From Niagara This Week:
A man survived being swept over the Horseshoe Falls early Tuesday morning.
Niagara Parks Police said at approximately 4 a.m. they were alerted to a report of a person in crisis at the brink of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.
From the Buffalo News:
The Niagara Parks Police are checking the water below Niagara Falls after an unconfirmed report that someone may have gone over the Falls, a dispatcher said Sunday afternoon.
See also:
From the Niagara Falls Review:
About 80,000 people packed the heart of the tourism area of Niagara Falls on Canada Day, the largest gathering of people in the city since an estimated 100,000 watched Nik Wallenda’s historic wirewalk over the Horseshoe Falls in 2012.
“It was tremendous,” said Niagara Parks Commission chairwoman Janice Thomson.
“That was the number that our Niagara Parks Police recorded in the immediate area of the falls, and around Murray Hill, Clifton Hill, on the (Niagara) Parkway.”
Thomson said she believes the crowd reflects the “fact that we’ve been enjoying an uptick in tourism.”
“We’ve seen more visitors in general, and now for this to be a very special holiday, coupled with the American 4th of July holiday, we just saw an amazing amount of visitors.”
From Niagara This Week:
Niagara Parks Police say emergency responders rescued a 71-year-old man from Germany who felll and injured himself while hiking in Niagara Gorge.
At around 2:45 p.m., parks police, Niagara Falls firefighters and paramedics were called to the gorge in the area between Niagara Glen and Thompson’s Point.
The man had been hiking with his family when he left a marked trail and fell 20 metres. His injuries prevented him from getting out of the gorge on his own.
I was walking past the Niagara Parks Police headquarters today (across the gorge and street from the American Falls) and someone made me walk around. They said they were filming a TV show. There was no sign of what network or what production company it was.
This St Catharines Standard article is about the holiday weekend in May. Based on my observations from Wednesday, July 1 (Canada Day), it should have been another successful day for the tourism industry.
The tourists are back in town.
Many visitors took advantage of the great weather during the Victoria Day holiday weekend to have a picnic, barbecue or just catch a bit of sunshine along the parkway, at Dufferin Islands or at Kingsbridge Park in Chippawa.
At peak hours during the day, parking spaces were hard to find, and Niagara Parks Police were kept busy directing traffic and keeping vehicles moving, especially in the area across from the falls, where drivers are frequently stopping to drop off or pick up passengers.
From the St Catharines Standard:
It’s a sure sign of summer for Niagara’s emergency workers.
Calls for high-angle rescues of hikers or tourists come in just about every week. There were two in one day in St. Catharines during a recent weekend.
Some are mundane — a lost hiker who needs some direction and help up a steep slope. Others are dramatic, such as the high-flying rescue in Niagara Falls in May where a Niagara Parks Police officer was suspended from a helicopter above the Niagara River while helping an injured man in the water.
“When they are off trail, it’s a naturally hazardous situation,” said Niagara Parks Police Insp. Paul Forcier.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
When something works, the Niagara Parks Police like to stick with it.
Even though Ontario’s liquor laws were loosened up a bit this past summer, those wishing to have a few drinks at the New Year’s Eve party in Queen Victoria Park will have to remain inside a designated area where alcohol is served.
“The last two years we’ve had a licensed area and that discourages people from bringing in their own alcohol into the park and we don’t have to worry about people tripping over empty bottles or bottles being thrown,” said Niagara Parks Police Chief Doug Kane. “We are able to secure the area so that it’s remains a safe family event.”
From Bullet News Niagara:
The steel railing and stone wall that divides tens of thousands of tourists from the beauty and power of Niagara Falls are almost always wet and slippery from the mist that routinely drifts out across the city.
But the obvious potential for danger, the signs warning people to keep their feet on the sidewalk, constant reminders from police patrolling the area around Table Rock – even with all of that, some people can’t resist tempting fate.
“We see it all the time,” said Niagara Parks Police Chief Doug Kane. “It’s very disturbing … very disturbing.”
So even on a breezy August Monday afternoon, with three incidents serving as fresh reminders of the dangerous and deadly consequences, there they were, visitors scaling the barrier at the brink of the falls, anxious for that apparent metre or two of added closeness to one of the world’s greatest wonders.
From the Niagara Falls Review:
There’s probably no better place to teach children about birds, wildflowers and trees than by taking them on a hike in the Niagara Glen.
“It’s all about raising an awareness for nature and the environment and hopefully our youth will do what they can to protect it,” said Bruce Macdonald, founding president of the Friends of the Niagara Parks – Niagara Glen Group.
On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Friends of Niagara Glen, held their second annual Earth Day at the Glen. They were set up near the top of the access stairs and were joined by a number of other organizations including the Niagara Parks Commission, the Niagara Parks Police, the Niagara Falls Nature Club, Ontario Access Coalition, Leave No Trace and Scouts Canada. All had displays and representatives on hand to answer questions.