Niagara Falls Blog – Travel and Tourism News

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New city heritage website now online

Wednesday, May 31, 2006 – 02:00

Local News – NIAGARA FALLS – A new website to promote all aspects of the city’s heritage officially went online Monday. The Niagara Falls Heritage Portal is a joint project between the city’s museums and the public library. Chief librarian Joe Longo and Kathy Powell, the manager of the city’s museums, officially launched the site at Monday’s council meeting. Their goal is to give any community organization that deals with local heritage some exposure on the Internet, Powell said. A lot of heritage groups have small budgets and can’t afford to develop their own websites. The heritage portal provides basic contact information for local groups and a link to their own website, if they have one. There are 45 organizations listed, 60 databases and 25 links to War of 1812 sites. The Niagara Falls Heritage Portal’s address is: www.niagarafallsheritage.ca.

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Little recognition for Niagara’s rich history

Corey Larocque

Friday, May 26, 2006 – 02:00

Local News – NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE – Niagara has a rich history, but this area – especially Niagara Falls – comes up short on the federal government’s list of significant historical figures.

Thursday’s inclusion of Laura Secord, a heroine in the War of 1812, as a person of national historic significance makes her one of the few Niagarans on the government’s roster of people whose actions shaped the course of Canadian history.

“I don’t know why it took so long, frankly,” said Robert Bothwell, a University of Toronto history professor and one of two members from Ontario on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The board unveiled a plaque outside of the Laura Secord Homestead Museum.

“She was a figure of absolutely national historic significance,” Bothwell said.

But another War of 1812 figure, Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock has not yet been included as a national historic person.

“Somebody like Brock would be a natural candidate for being a national historic figure. He died in defence of this country,” Bothwell said.

As the bicentennial of the War of 1812 approaches, there should be a push to recognize the importance of those who defended Canada, said Niagara Falls MP Rob Nicholson. Other historical figures who have a Niagara connection should be considered, Nicholson said.

Father Louis Hennepin, the Belgian missionary credited as the first European to write an account of seeing Niagara Falls might be an appropriate candidate, Nicholson said.

The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada selects which historical people, places and events are deemed to have a nationally significant impact on Canadian history.

From Niagara, William Merritt, who built the Welland Canal, is included as a St. Catharines entry. The board recommends Harriet Tubman, the public face of the Underground Railroad be given a plaque in St. Catharines.

William Lyon Mackenzie, who led the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837 is included, but is listed as being from Toronto, though he had published a paper from Queenston and lived in exile on Navy Island.

Sir Adam Beck, the namesake of the hydroelectricity generators in Niagara Falls, is listed as being from London, Ont., where he had been mayor.

Ron Dale, a Parks Canada superintendent said when the board was created, it tried to honour historical figures whose contributions had not already been commemorated elsewhere in the country in some other form.

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Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, Managing Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.

Tim Hortons Clifton Hill – Now Open For Business!

On Friday, May 19th, 2006, Tim Horton’s newest location on Clifton Hill officially opened for business.

The Victoria Day-long weekend, drew a large number of patrons who most likely enjoyed the fresh coffee and baked goods during the cooler weather.

The surrounding walkways are rapidly coming together, with the adjacent “Canada Trading Company” retail store, very close to being finished.

Stay tuned for more updates.

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‘Diggers’ uncover war history

Tony Ricciuto

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 – 02:00

Local News – NIAGARA FALLS – They’re a small group of dedicated volunteers who really dig their work.

“It’s a passion. We’re all amateurs, but we are out there rain or shine,” said Andre Hooreweghe, who is the oldest member of a group called The Diggers.

The volunteer archeologists are from Belgium and they dig up the trenches around Flanders Field looking for bodies and artifacts from soldiers who died in the First World War.

To date, they have found 215 bodies, three of them have been unknown Canadian soldiers.

Hooreweghe, 61, who lives in Belgium, visited Niagara Falls recently and met up with an old friend, Albert Gautier.

The two men met years ago and their friendship grew because they shared a common interest in war history.

Gautier, who was born in Belgium, was visiting the area near Flanders Fields when he noticed a group of men digging. He struck up a conversation with Hooreweghe and they soon became friends.

Flanders Fields was the scene of a terrible battle in the Ypres salient in the spring of 1915. Lt.-Col. John McCrae, a Canadian surgeon attached to the 1st Field Artillery Brigade, Canadian Army, wrote about it in his poem titled In Flanders Fields.

That poem was nearly never published because McCrae was dissatisfied with it and tossed it away. A fellow officer retrieved it and sent it to newspapers in England. The Spectator in London, rejected it, but Punch published it on Dec. 8, 1915. In Flanders Fields remains one of the most memorable war poems ever written.

“We’re still finding bodies because there are areas that have remained untouched for 60 years,” said Hooreweghe.

There’s one property where a battle took place in 1914, but the owner of that land would not allow anyone to put a shovel into the soil. It was fenced in and left as a pasture. After the owner’s death, his descendants sold the land so it could be used to build factories.

The small group of 13 volunteers work for the Flanders Field Museum. Their work begins with first searching an area with metal detectors. Once something is located, they begin the slow and careful work of uncovering it.

The discovery could be anything from a bayonet, medals, a helmet or even a live shell. Once a soldier’s body is located, the police are called in to document the find before it is removed.

“Even after all these years, we have found bodies only 15 centimetres under the ground,” said Hooreweghe.

A soldiers’s shoes are an important part of the find because they provide vital information regarding his country of origin. The soldier could be Canadian, British, French or even German because they all fought in that location.

“All are treated with great respect, so to us it doesn’t really matter where they are from. All are treated the same,” said Hooreweghe.

Once the body has been documented, everything is placed inside a plastic bag and taken to a chapel that is located on a military base. Later, a full military funeral is held, often attended by many citizens and dignitaries and the remains are buried at a cemetery.

In the case of the three unknown Canadian soldiers that were found, they were returned to Canada and special services were held in Ottawa.

One of those services took place June 9, 2003. Members of the Royal Regiment of Canada and the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada carried the casket of the remains of the unknown soldier of the Great War to his final resting place at the Passchendaele New British Cemetery.

Hooreweghe said his interest in military history began when he was about nine years old and his grandfather would tell him stories of the war.

After he got married, he was looking for a hobby and decided this is what he wanted to do. Their group started with one or two volunteers and now they have 13, one of whom is a female nurse.

Hooreweghe said he will never forget his first find.

“It was a big, live German shell. We took it out and put it under a tree and when we returned three weeks later it was gone. I couldn’t believe it.”

There have been occasions when the group has removed the top soil from an area and discovered rows of trenches.

They are easy to spot because the colour of the soil outside of the trench is a slightly different shade from what was used at a later time to fill in the trench.

When live shells are found, special care has to be taken. Bomb experts are called in to have them removed.

“If you have a 4,000 kilo shell, that’s more than enough to blow up an entire village,” said Hooreweghe. One was found on a field that was being used to play soccer.

The youngest person in their group is a 14-year-old student. Hooreweghe said the best way to interest young people in history is to bring them to the field during a dig, so they can see for themselves what is being discovered.

Over the years, Gautier has been able to bring back to Canada many war souvenirs that now sit on display inside the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 479 on Spring Street.

Hooreweghe said this is work he has to do because “it’s like a mission. We have to dig up the history before it’s lost forever.”

tricciuto@nfreview.com

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Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, Managing Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.

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Niagara Parks Commission preparing ‘major announcement’: Parks head tells Rotary big plan to be revealed soon

Jennifer Pellegrini

Wednesday, May 24, 2006 – 02:00

Local News – 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.

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 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.”

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© 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, Managing Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.

Niagara Falls Botanical Gardens hosts 70th Niagara Flower and Garden Show

June 9, 10 & 11 2006

Event Details: The Niagara Flower and Garden Show benefits the not-for-profit activities of the Master Gardeners of Ontario and the horticultural programs of the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture. This show is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2006.

Location: Niagara Parks Botanical Garden and School of Horticulture
Address: Niagara Pkwy
City: Niagara Falls
Date: June 9, 10 & 11 2006
Time: Friday & Saturday 9:00am – 6:00pm Sunday 10:00am – 5:00pm
Admission: $10.00

More Info: 905 309-3959
Contact Name: Wendy
E-mail: info@niagaraflowerandgardenshow.com
WWW: http://www.niagaraflowerandgardenshow.com

The Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens was originally established in 1936 as the School for Apprentice Gardeners. It remains a unique location for studying gardening and obtaining the knowledge necessary to grow and maintain the landscapes of the Park System. Click Here to Read More about the Niagara Falls Botanical Gardens.

Click Here for more: Niagara Falls Botanical Gardens Photos

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Niagara scores passport victory

By COREY LAROCQUE

Friday, May 19, 2006 – 02:00

Local News -

NIAGARA FALLS A U.S. Senate vote to delay the so-called passport requirement many fear will hurt tourism is a victory for Niagara because it buys some time, says Mayor Ted Salci.

“We’re excited. It’s exactly what we want,” Salci said Thursday, reacting to the news.

American Senators voted Wednesday to change the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative’s implementation date to June 1, 2009. It’s the new rule that will require everyone including Americans entering the U.S. at a land border to show a passport or some other new document that indicates the holders’ identity and citizenship.

The security measure, which had been recommended by the 9/11 commission, was to come into effect Jan. 1, 2008.

“Hopefully, this will give them some breathing room to look at proper implementation,” said Salci. “We thought it was very much done in haste.”

Politicians and business leaders on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border warned the cost would discourage tourism and trade between the two countries.

The cost of an adult Canadian passport is $87 and an American passport is $97 US.

Salci and the mayors of Fort Erie, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls, N.Y., went to Ottawa Tuesday to urge the Canadian legislators to push their American counterparts to delay the new requirement long enough to study its economic impact and to consider alternative forms of identification that are cheaper and more common than a passport.

A driver’s licence and birth certificate have been sufficient identification for years.

The Binational Tourism Alliance, a Fort-Erie-based association of tourism operators in Niagara and western New York, held a meeting last Friday urging its members to put pressure on Washington to delay implementation, as well.

That group’s director Arlene White said she was “totally thrilled” with the delay.

“There are tremendous opportunities for us to work with our colleagues in Washington to influence how this is implemented This is the first step,” White said.

Ontario’s Tourism Minister Jim Bradley said Washington’s delay will give Ontario more time to upgrade driver’s licences for international travel. The province could investigate issuing driver’s licences with beefed-up security and, for the first time, proof of Canadian citizenship, to meet American requirements, he said.

Ontario licences currently show a home address, gender, birthdate and height, but don’t confirm that the carrier is a Canadian. Licences might also be attached with identification technology that could be electronically scanned at border crossings.

Prototypes for such cards are already being worked on and could be rolled out within a year, Bradley said.

There’s still a chance the tighter restrictions could be put in place sooner than the Senate has proposed if President George W. Bush’s administration insists on meeting its original target date, Canadian ambassador to Washington Michael Wilson said Wednesday.

A big test will also come next January, when a U.S. budget bill will outline how much the security changes would cost.

Still, Bradley said the Senate vote shows a recognition of political will on both sides of the border to take more time to study the implications of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which the Ontario Chamber of Commerce fears would cost the provincial economy $570 million and 7,000 tourism industry jobs.

“We all understand security is important,” Bradley said. “But as some in the U.S. have said, we shouldn’t turn a war on terrorism into a war on tourism.”

Bradley said further discussion on the issue will take place late next month in Manitoba at a major North American summit on border issues expected to be attended by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Moving the deadline 17 months ahead would spare tourism-based businesses, particularly in Ontario border cities like Niagara Falls and Windsor, a potentially crippling blow before alternative forms of identification can be established.

“Within a year, I’m sure that people can come up with that kind of documentation,” Bradley said of more secure driver’s licences that could offer an affordable alternative to a passport or other new forms of ID.

With files from the Canadian Press

clarocque@nfreview.com

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Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, Managing Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.

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Casino transportation on track

Ray Spiteri

Friday, May 19, 2006 – 02:00

Local News – NIAGARA FALLS – All aboard.

A train service that transports passengers from Union Station in Toronto to the Bridge Street station in Niagara Falls, will start today on select departures and run until Sept. 8.

VIA Rail Canada – which offers the service in partnership with Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and Peller Estates Winery – has added an additional seasonal departure to Niagara Falls this summer featuring the casino’s learn-to-play sessions and wine sampling.

“The idea is not just to bring people from Toronto to Niagara Falls, it’s also to bring a little bit of Niagara Falls to Toronto,” said Kevin Harding, casino spokesman.

“I think it’s quite neat that we can provide some of our most famous traits on a relaxing and fun trip to the city.”

On the outside, the Glenfraser lounge car is wrapped as a casino slot machine.

Inside, passengers will have the opportunity to learn and play poker or blackjack for fun from a professional dealer, while enjoying a complimentary Peller Estate wine sampling.

The learn-to-play and wine experience will be available on Friday and Saturday departures.

“Niagara Falls has so much to offer as a summer destination and now with our partnership with VIA, it’s easier than ever to get here,” said Steve Wolstenholme, general manager of the casino.

Customers can visit www.viarail.ca to book their complete trip with one-stop shopping for trains, cars, hotels and activities. Train tickets are available at VIA stations across Canada.

Passengers can also book their tickets by calling 1-888-842-7245 or through their travel agent.

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© 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, Managing Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.

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Big job for Big Becky

Corey Larocque
Local News – Friday, May 19, 2006 @ 02:00

NIAGARA FALLS – When Big Becky comes to town this summer, she will take one of the biggest construction jobs in Ontario and help the provincial government live up to its promise of producing cleaner electricity.

Big Becky is the new nickname given to the tunnel-boring machine that will dig a third hydro tunnel under the city of Niagara Falls. Ontario Energy Minister Donna Cansfield made the announcement Thursday during a tour of the construction site near the Sir Adam Beck hydroelectric generators.

“Mining equipment is traditionally given a woman’s name for good luck,” Cansfield said.

A Grade 6 class at Port Weller elementary school came up with the winning entry in a contest to name the massive machine.

Kevin Dyck, the school’s computer and science teacher, had been teaching his classes about the Niagara Tunnel Project and how electricity is produced. His Grade 6 science students took the naming contest to heart.

“We had tons and tons of names,” said Dyck, who said his students took part in brainstorming sessions to come up with suggestions.

They called it Becky because it’s a feminine twist that pays tribute to Sir Adam Beck, considered the founder of public electricity in Ontario and the namesake of the two generating stations in Niagara Falls.

They call it big because it’s one of the largest pieces of tunnelling machinery in the world.

“The star of the show will be delivered in components,” Ernst Gschnitzer, the project manager for the Austrian company hired to dig the tunnel. “It is the largest hard-rock tunnel-boring machine in the world.”

Strabag AG, an Austrian construction company that specializes in tunnelling, is in charge of construction. The tunnel will be 14.4 metres in diameter. It will run 10.4 kilometres, from the existing Beck generators under Stanley Avenue to the Rapidsview area.

“There are very few projects this large in the world,” Gschintzer said.

Until Thursday, Big Becky had been known simply as the tunnel-boring machine or TBM for short. It’s being built by The Robbins Company near Cleveland, Ohio and shipped here in pieces.

About 25 per cent of Big Becky’s components have already arrived in Niagara Falls. They come by ship across Lake Erie, down the Welland Canal and are unloaded at Thorold. Pieces are then trucked from the canal to the construction site, off Stanley Avenue near Portage Road, he said.

The rest of the machine will arrive over the spring and summer and will be assembled on site. It’s scheduled to start digging in September.

Work began last fall to prepare a site south of the hydro reservoir for the tunnel-boring machine’s arrival. Strabag has dug a sloped trench 40 metres deep. That will be Big Becky’s starting point later this summer once the machine is assembled.

Big Becky will dig up to 15 metres a day and reach the tunnel’s intake point on the upper Niagara River near the Rapidsview area.

Ontario Power Generation, the provincially owned electricity producer, is building the tunnel to bring more water to its existing generators in Niagara Falls.

Ontario’s Liberal government plans to generate 10 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2010, Cansfield said.

“Ontario is serious about meeting our province’s power needs through clean, reliable and sustainable sources,” she said.

Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor said more hydroelectricity is a “vital source of natural, environmentally friendly energy” that will be help answer Ontario’s growing demand for power.

Once the tunnel is completed in 2009, it will provide enough water to increase the amount of electricity generated at the Beck stations by 14 per cent, OPG officials said. That’s enough electricity to supply 160,000 homes – a city about the size of London, Ont. Niagara’s hydroelectric generators already produce about 10 per cent of Ontario’s electricity.

clarocque@nfreview.com

Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, Managing Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.

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Regis and Kelly the hottest tickets in town – and online: Producers announce guests for Falls show

Jennifer Pellegrini

Thursday, May 18, 2006 – 02:00

Local News – NIAGARA FALLS – For months, Mary Goodwin has been telling people she’s going to see Live! with Regis and Kelly when it broadcasts from the Oakes Garden Theatre May 22.

The Hamburg, N.Y., resident was home watching the show in March when the pair announced plans for the remote broadcast, which includes a live show at 9 a.m. and a taping of Tuesday’s show at 11 a.m.

She immediately logged on to the show’s website to get tickets and never doubted for a second she would be in the audience for the live show.

“I told everyone at my son’s birthday party that I had a big announcement,” she said Wednesday. “Everyone held their breath, and then I told them I was going to see Regis and Kelly.”

Then, suddenly, things changed. The lottery for tickets Goodwin assumed would go through the show’s website became a lottery at the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort on a weekend Goodwin couldn’t go.

“I was disappointed,” she said. “But then I thought about checking EBay to see if people would be selling them online.

Not surprisingly, tickets began popping up on the Internet auction site quickly.

Knowing the tickets were given away for free, Goodwin expected people would be selling them for about $50.

She was shocked to discover some auctions had gone up as high as $240, and told her husband the price was “ridiculous.”

What she didn’t realize was that in an effort to make her happy, he was one of the auction participants, eventually landing a pair for a little bit more than a price she already thought was too high.

“I’m not supposed to know (how much he paid), but the kids told me it was $260,” Goodwin said of her Mother’s Day gift.

That price is a bargain compared to some. One buyer paid $350 US for a pair of tickets and another paid $345. Tickets still available on the site are currently selling for about $170.

Goodwin said she’s looking forward to an overnight stay in Niagara Falls, a nice dinner out and then getting up early to see the show.

“I told my husband, ‘Let’s stay up all night and then go,’ but I don’t think we will,” she said.

And although she’s not familiar with the guests scheduled for the 9 a.m. show – Mary Lynn Rajskub, who plays techno-wiz Chloe, assistant to Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) on 24, or the winner of America’s Next Top Model – or with Dean Cain, Caroline Rhea or singer Ashley Angel Parker who will appear on the 11 a.m. show, it doesn’t matter.

She has been a fan of the show for years, watching on days when she doesn’t have to go to her part-time job, and is tickled pink she’ll be in the audience to watch Regis and Kelly kibbitz about their weekend seeing the sights in Niagara Falls.

“I’m just so excited,” she said. “I’m going to see Regis and Kelly!”

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© 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, Managing Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.