Ontario, sanitized for your protection
The Toronto Sun newspapers had an opinion piece recently about Ontario, and how the government is trying to “protect us” (they called it a Nanny State). At one point, it uses Niagara Falls as an example:
These days, the architects of our bubble-wrapped, peanut-free society have their sights set on the daredevil community.
The nattering nabobs of nannyism at the Niagara Parks Commission won’t give permission to highwire walker Ken Wallenda to walk a tightrope across the Falls. Wallenda wants to start in Niagara Falls, N.Y., enter the mist, and re-emerge on the Canadian side. Fantastic!
Stateside, politicians who want to help the economically depressed city of Niagara Falls, N.Y. have championed Wallenda’s proposal, and lawmakers in Albany have approved the stunt.
But a snag has been encountered in — where else? — Nanny State Central. You see, Wallenda’s stunt isn’t being embraced by the testicular-challenged bureaucrats at the Niagara Parks Commission. Officials are frowning on what they deem to be a Falls folly.
Doubling down
Apparently, “risky business” in Niagara Falls, Ont. these days is confined to the rubes doubling down at the government-run blackjack tables.
When Wallenda first proposed the stunt, the Commission’s Janice Thomson remarked: “Doing something for one day doesn’t seem like sustainable tourism. It harkens back to those early days when Niagara Falls was a carnival-like atmosphere. We have come so far away from that.”
Egad! Has Thomson ever strolled up Clifton Hill, home to House of Frankenstein, Castle Dracula, and numerous other wax museums and freak shows?
Niagara Falls isn’t exactly Vienna on the Rhine. Actually, it can be cheesier than a bucket of Bulgarian feta.
Isn’t it disheartening that in our increasingly sissified culture the safety mavens are now turning their sights on daredevils?
So much for Dalton McGuinty’s oft-repeated boast that Ontario is “open for business” — Wallenda’s stunt stands, or stood, to rake-in millions for the region.
But that’s sanitized-for-your-protection Ontario — a province that wants bread, not circuses.
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Fixing the Falls: Hoping for a development
From the Niagara Gazette:
Niagara Falls Redevelopment.
For many years, candidates seeking elected office in the city of Niagara Falls have been asked how they would advise the city to deal with the company which, through its various affiliates, owns more than 400 parcels of prime real estate near the heart of downtown.
This year’s crop of mayoral candidates and city council hopefuls generally agree more needs to be done from the city’s end to spur action within NFR’s development territory.
The majority also said they would support a direct approach — simply sitting down with owner Howard Milstein or his associates and discussing why more hasn’t happened on NFR land and what more can be done from the city’s end to help move things along.
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New $6.2M hotel planned for Niagara Falls
From WIVB Channel 4 in Buffalo:
Plans are in the works for a new $6.2 million Hampton Inn in the City of Niagara Falls.
Falls Hotel LLC is planning to construct a new 45,000 square foot, four-story Hampton Inn featuring 72 guest rooms. The business would be built at 6501½ Niagara Falls Boulevard on a vacant lot by the northbound exit ramp from I-190.
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Will & Kate at Niagara Falls?
From WGRZ Channel 2 in Buffalo:
Niagara Falls is Western New York and southern Ontario’s natural tourist attraction. But the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario has its mind set on two tourists in particular; England’s future King and Queen, Prince William and his bride-to-be, Kate Middleton. After their spring wedding they’re planning a trip to Canada.
“We couldn’t think of a more natural place than the honeymoon capital of the world to make a trip,” said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati.
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Big Becky to surface this spring
From the Niagara Falls Review:
After four years of underground burrowing, Big Becky is about to surface near Niagara Falls.
Big Becky is the nicknmame of the tunnel-boring machine digging a 10-km tunnel under the city of Niagara Falls that will bring more water to the Sir Adam Beck hydroelectric generators.
“If all goes well, we’ll be breaking through the other side in April,” said Tom Mitchell, president of Ontario Power Generation, the provincially owned company responsible for producing electricity.
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Sleep Cheap underway, rooms still available
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 been great,” said Diodati, who will become mayor Dec. 6.
Some hotels have booked the rooms they set aside, but more than a dozen listed vacancies on the city’s website.
Yet, the organizing committee and participating hoteliers aren’t sure if some behind-the-scenes changes will affect the number of families walking through the doors of the city’s hotels.
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Group puts Falls on list of most ‘playful cities’
From the Buffalo News:
The City of Niagara Falls, which has received a grant from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund to inventory all of its local parks, create a master plan for their improvement and develop a system of trails linking the parks with the Niagara River waterfront, has been chosen as one of America’s most “playful cities.”
The choice was announced Wednesday by KaBOOM!,a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D. C., and dedicated to giving priority to playful activities and ensuring that children are healthy by providing the time and space for them to play.
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City, NPC closing in on People Mover deal
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Niagara Falls council and the Niagara Parks Commission appear to be closing in on a deal to operate some kind of joint-venture People Mover System, as they face a June 30 deadline to take advantage of $50 million in government assistance or lose it.
“We’re down to the wire,” Mayor Ted Salci said Tuesday afternoon, a day after councillors authorized him to execute a deal if one can be reached Wednesday. “I haven’t signed anything yet.”
The authorization council gave the mayor Monday is a sign the city wants to be ready in the event an arrangement is worked out to create a new transit system that will run on both NPCowned property and on city streets in the tourism sector.
“I’m feeling we should be able to announce something shortly that will bring some smiles to people’s faces.”
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New tourism tax in the Falls discussed
From the Niagara Gazette:
A new “tourism tax” is in the works in the City of Niagara Falls.
City Council Chairman Sam Fruscione and members of the Niagara Falls Tourism Advisory Board on Monday discussed plans to impose a 50-cent tax on tickets sold by area attractions and tour operators.
Supporters say the effort, modeled after a similar tax applied to attractions in Niagara Falls, Ont., would create a pool of funds the city desperately needs to carry out economic development projects, road repairs and demolition of neglected and abandoned buildings.
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Dinosaur Park Adventure Golf
As Lonny mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the City of Niagara Falls has information about the steel structure behind the Niagara SkyWheel. The attraction will be called Dinosaur Park Adventure Golf. The city web site doesn’t really have any other information on it. It says it is new construction and that it is currently under construction, but there is no proposed opening date.
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