Dec. 15 Niagara letters: Greater spending on Niagara transit needed (St. Catharines Standard letter to the editor)

(from https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/dec-15-niagara-letters-greater-spending-on-niagara-transit-needed/article_f367ee1f-9f7b-5637-83bc-58a50a5e5f1a.html)

Regionalization of public transit has improved service and more spending is needed, says reader

Letter to the EditorNiagara Dailies

Friday, December 15, 2023

1 min to read

Article was updated Dec 18, 2023

Invest more in transit

Re: Transit a 'pig in a poke,' Letters, Dec. 11

The above is misleading because it suggests Niagara Region Transit's budget is increasing because of hiring staff, and says, “Let taxpayers see the expenses line by line,” when they already can in extensive reports.

Transit should be where we invest more money and expand services.

The letter writer says making transit regional was supposed to improve service. It has. OnDemand reaches places without a regular bus, and co-ordinating between cities saves riders lots of time.

But this is not enough. As a rider told regional council at its Nov. 30 budget meeting, we need to “break out of the cycle of underinvesting to keep the loudest voices happy.”

Instead, council is looking to make dangerous cuts, and the transit commission is looking to cut paratransit and OnDemand, which are used by the most vulnerable people who have no other option.

Saleh Waziruddin

Letter to Niagara Regional Council against making rules for delegating more difficult

 Dear Councillors,

The current procedural rules already make it very difficult if not impossible to delegate effectively because by needing to submit a delegation by the Friday morning before a Regional Council meeting we don't know of key developments happening before we can submit our delegation. Key committee meetings, reports, and proposals may not happen until closer to the Regional Council meeting on the Thursday after the deadline to submit a delegation.

The new rule changes from the Procedural By-law Review Committee amending Section 13.5 make delegating more difficult by moving the deadline for delegating in extenuating circumstances further back two days. If it's an extenuating circumstance we might not know until the afternoon of the meeting.

There should be a normal, not extenuating, opportunity for people to request delegating to Council up to and including the afternoon of the Council and Committee meetings so that we don't have to play guessing games of what will happen in the days before the meeting to figure out what our delegation content will be. Normalizing delegation requests closer to the meetings help make delegations better informed and prepared when requesting to speak to Council.

Thank you,

Saleh Waziruddin in St. Catharines

Niagara Region weighs diverse opinions on diversity, equity and inclusion committee (St. Catharines Standard)

https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/council/2023/05/10/niagara-region-weighs-diverse-opinions-on-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-committee.html 

Niagara Region weighs diverse opinions on diversity, equity and inclusion committee

Corporate services committee recommends sticking with the current structure for advice

By Bill SawchukStandard Reporter

Wed., May 10, 2023timer2 min. read

There were bound to be some growing pains when Niagara Regioncouncil established its first diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) advisory committee last term.

Wednesday, the Region’s corporate services committee approved staff recommendations for improvement process before the municipality establishes this term’s committee.

The most pressing issue was whether council needs to divide the advisory committee in two: one for anti-racism issues and a second for LGBTQ issues.

Saleh Waziruddin of Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association made the case for separate committees.

“A combined DEI committee can’t do all the work needed by anti-racism and 2SLGBTQQIA+ committees,” Waziruddin said. “The committee will have people representing all kinds of diversity and not just experience with racism or 2SLGBTQQIA+ issues.

“This means, for example, that anti-racism recommendations will need to be first approved by people who don’t have the lived experience before they even get to council. It’s an unnecessary barrier to getting the vital advice you’re seeking.”

However, the staff report survey of 14 Ontario municipalities with current or planned DEI advisory committees showed only one municipality, Peel, has the staff to serve multiple diversity-related advisory committees.

The rest have one combined diversity-related advisory committee with subcommittee structures, called action tables, to delve more deeply into pressing concerns.

“The municipality which has multiple committees outside of Niagara has 10 full-time equivalent staff in their DEI office, compared to two DEI related full-time equivalent staff at Niagara Region,” the report said.

The second issue the corporate services committee debated was who would best serve as committee chair — a councillor or a citizen member.

St. Catharines Coun. Laura Ip said she initially believed a citizen should take the chair’s role.

“Based on our procedural bylaw alone, I changed my mind,” Ip said. “The chair manages the meeting, so I felt that we were losing the input of a community member by making them chair.”

Waziruddin said a community member should serve as the chair.

“The work of committees will still come to council for your approval, but the needed leadership will be missing,” Waziruddin said. “Representation does matter, and the way to do that is with a resident as chair.”

Sabrina Hill, a St. Catharines resident, was chair of the DEI advisory committee for part of the last term. She said advisory committees are something Niagara needs.

“From my understanding, the Region used a complex matrix to score each potential member for their various committees and recruited some of the very best residents from across Niagara, and in the end those people did good work,” Hill said.

“Through adversity we found incentive. Through research we found reason, and through diversity we found compromise.

“Speaking from personal experience in the short time I served on two advisory committees in the last term, despite the roadblocks of a pandemic and a shortened term, we as a group of diverse and enthusiastic residents managed to accomplish a lot.”

Bill Sawchuk is a St. Catharines-based reporter with the Standard. Reach him via email: william.sawchuk@niagaradailies.com

Hate incident investigations nearly double in Niagara for second straight year, police report (St. Catharines Standard)

https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/crime/2023/05/04/hate-incident-investigations-nearly-double-in-niagara-for-second-straight-year.html 

Hate incident investigations nearly double in Niagara for second straight year, police report

41 investigations conducted by Niagara Regional Police in 2022, up from 21 a year earlier

By Allan BennerStandard Reporter

Thu., May 4, 2023timer3 min. read

Hate-related investigations by Niagara Regional Police nearly doubled for the second year in a row, likely fuelled by local reaction to international events as well as increasing anti-racism awareness.

According to the NRP’s recently released annual report on hate crimes, 41 investigations were conducted in 2022 — almost doubling the 21 investigations conducted a year earlier.

Only 10 hate incident investigations were conducted in 2020, and 11 in 2019.

Seven criminal charges have been laid so far stemming from the 41 investigations last year.

The report, presented at last week’s police services board meeting, said none of the charges met the threshold to be classified as hate crimes.

However, Saleh Waziruddin from Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association said spray painting the N-word on a school named for a Black freedom fighter and at a Caribbean restaurant ought to have warranted more severe charges, referring to St. Catharines incidents at Harriet Tubman Public School and Caribbean Eatery restaurant on June 11.

Waziruddin said two high school students in Ottawa were charged with public incitement of hatred, mischief and criminal harassment after a similar vandalism incident.

“That wasn’t a problem for Ottawa, why is it a problem here?” he asked. “Here, the police or the Crown is saying it doesn’t meet the threshold, but in Ottawa it did meet the threshold. It doesn’t feel like were being treated fairly here.”

The NRP report, prepared by Staff Sgt. Matthew Hodges from the special investigative services unit, attributed much of the increase to the police service’s Stop Hate Niagara awareness campaign introduced last year summer via social media and through the distribution of pamphlets that encouraged residents to report hate-motivated incidents.

“It will be important to pay close attention to this indicator in the coming years to determine whether hate/bias incidents are increasing in our community, or the public is developing a better understanding and/or an increased level of comfort reporting incidents to police,” the report said.

Although the awareness campaign likely resulted in increased reports of hate incidents, Waziruddin said it falls far short of capturing the full scope of the problem in Niagara.

“There’s still a lot more that aren’t reported. We know that because of the incidents that we see that people are reluctant to report because of fear of escalation,” he said.

Mischief and graffiti targeting the Ukrainian community related to the war in Europe also contributed to the increase.

In June, several homes flying the Ukrainian flag in a show of support of the country defending itself from the Russian invasion were hit by vandals, as police investigated reports of flags being torn down, vandalized vehicles and the letter Z spray painted on driveways.

In at least one instance, a note was left behind written in Russian that made disparaging statements against the Ukrainian people, said Ukrainian Canadian Congress Niagara (UCCN) president Irene Newton.

Since then, however, Newton said reports of vandalism related to the Ukrainian community have all but stopped.

“There may have been a few minor instances that occurred, but it’s been pretty rare,” she said. “People are still flying their flags … but no one has come to us and said it’s happening again, or anything of that nature.”

Hodges’ report said the majority of hate incidents last year were related to mischief and graffiti, while harassment was the second most common offence.

Members of the Black community were most frequently the targets of hate incidents, while among religious group the Jewish community was the most victimized, primarily through graffiti such as swastikas, the report said.

Waziruddin said he was disappointed with the scope of the report presented this year, saying it didn’t include the same level of detail that was available in past years.

Allan Benner is a St. Catharines-based reporter with the Standard. Reach him via email: allan.benner@niagaradailies.com

St. Catharines keeping Harriet Tubman’s message alive (Niagara This Week)

https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/local-st-catharines/life/2023/03/10/st-catharines-keeping-harriet-tubman-s-message-alive.html 

St. Catharines keeping Harriet Tubman’s message alive

A small ceremony inside council chambers was held in honour of Harriet Tubman Day

Set St. Catharines as My Local news

By Abby Green

Fri., March 10, 2023timer2 min. read

Saleh Waziruddin from the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association speaks at a ceremony at St. Catharines City Hall in honour of Harriet Tubman Day.

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Tapo Chimbganda said it’s important not to historicize what Harriet Tubman’s fought for.

“Her values are something that we need to hold onto as current, as pertinent, as requiring all of us to take responsibility for each other’s freedoms, for each other’s education, and for everything else that Harriet Tubman and her colleagues worked hard for,” she said.

Chimbganda spoke as part of a small gathering at St. Catharines City Hall to honour Harriet Tubman Day, on March 10, the anniversary of her death.

The Future Black Female founder was one of several speakers, including St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe, MPP Jennie Stevens, and historian Rochelle Bush, who also owns Tubman Tours Canada.

Bush joined virtually, summarizing Tubman’s life story, and her journey to St. Catharines with the Underground Railroad, which Tubman used to smuggle enslaved peoples to Canada, and to freedom.

“That was the catalyst that started the movement towards the abolition of African enslavement in the United States … it was hatched here in St. Catharines,” she said. “For me, that's a proud moment for my ancestral history because I know it was started here in St. Catharines, the idea to overthrow institutionalized slavery in the United States.”

Leo Barone-Edwards and Hala Yahya, students from Harriet Tubman Public School, read a poem about Tubman’s life.

“She was a conductor on the railroad. Her passengers were the payload. She never got caught, she couldn't be bought,” they read. “She was on the run, threatening with an unloaded gun. This African-American ex-slave was the most brave.”

Bringing it back to the present day, Chimbganda encouraged keeping Tubman’s spirit alive.

“The values are important and there's something that should unite us as a city, as a community, across whatever divide we might experience, we might imagine we all need that freedom,” she said.

Referencing the treatment of people seeking refuge in Niagara Falls, Chimbganda said the sentiments don’t reflect the value of freedom.

“We need to be aware as we celebrate Harriet Tubman, what message we're now bringing across as a community,” she said. “Are we still concerned about people's freedoms or have we become so self-focused that we've forgotten that this was one place where people in the U.S. would dream of coming to live their lives? This was a dream destination.”

The event closed with messages from Saleh Waziruddin, an executive for the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association, who emphasized a need to come together as a community, following the vandalism of the Harriet Tubman statue, school, and at a local Caribbean eatery last year.

He said stronger consequences are needed.

“It's difficult for any reasonable person, I think, to understand why when the N-word and racial hate was brazenly displayed, there aren't hate crime charges,” he said. “The students, faculty and staff of Harriet Tubman Public School have been resilient. But to give them to justice, we should show we take hate crimes and anti-Black racism seriously in St. Catharines by using the laws we already have against hate crimes … We need to put our actions, our money, where our mouth is, and it's not enough just to make declarations.”

Harriet Tubman’s values remain vital, as asylum seekers arrive in Canada (St. Catharines Standard)

https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/niagara-region/2023/03/10/harriet-tubmans-values-remain-vital-as-asylum-seekers-arrive-in-canada.html 

Harriet Tubman’s values remain vital, as asylum seekers arrive in Canada

By Allan BennerStandard Reporter

Fri., March 10, 2023timer3 min. read

The values Harriet Tubman fought for more than 150 years ago are just as vital today, as thousands of asylum seekers arrive at Canada’s borders.

“Her values are something we need to hold onto, as current, as pertinent, and requiring all of us to take responsibility for each other’s freedoms, for each other’s education and for everything else that Harriet Tubman and her colleagues worked hard for,” said Dr. Tapo Chimbganda, one of several participants at a Harriet Tubman Day event at St. Catharines city hall, Friday.

While focusing on the history of St. Catharines and Niagara as destination for Black people seeking freedom, the plight of asylum seekers arriving in Canada, including thousands staying in Niagara Falls hotels, were also on the minds of speakers during the annual event, held on the 110th anniversary of the abolitionist’s death.

Chimbganda, the founder of Future Black Female — a non-profit organization that assists Black girls and women with their education and career paths — said thousands of people from all over the world are now staying in Niagara Falls hotel rooms, after arriving at Canada’s borders.

However, she said public sentiments regarding refugees often do not “reflect that value of freedom.”

“We need to be aware as we celebrate Harriet Tubman, what message we’re now bringing across as a community. Are we still concerned about people’s freedoms? Or have we become so self focused that we’ve forgotten that this was one place where people in the U.S. would dream of coming to, to live their lives? This was a dream destination,” Chimbganda said. “When people come to us now, what are we showing them? What are we offering them? I think it’s really important that we remember the work of Harriet Tubman through our actions and our attitudes moving forward.”

Chimbganda said Tubman’s values remain important and “they’re something that should unite us as a city and as a community, across whatever divide we might experience or we might imagine, we all need that freedom.”

“We all need that right to be called free,” she said. “Let us unite around that value of freedom, whether it comes through what we do for those amongst us who are marginalized, people with disabilities, people who are unhoused or underhoused, people of different races or newcomers in our communities.”

Salem Chapel BME Church historian Rochelle Bush, MPP Jennie Stevens and Mayor Mat Siscoe also participated in the event, as well as members of Future Black Female, and students and teachers from Harriet Tubman School who read a poem students wrote about the Underground Railroad conductor.

St. Catharines anti-racism advisory committee chair Saleh Waziruddin reflected on the city’s place as a refuge for freedom seekers, as well as people from “the other side,” referring to Confederates who took refuge in Canada following the Civil War.

Now, as people continue arriving at Canada’s borders seeking refuge, Waziruddin said they are being challenged by some people “who immigrated here in earlier times, onto Indigenous land.”

He said the Migrant Rights Network is organizing a rally at 2 p.m., Sunday, March 19, in front of Niagara Falls city hall, in support of the recently arrived asylum seekers.

It’s one of six rallies the organization is holding to mark the International Day for Elimination of Racism, and “to unite against racism in all its forms,” he added.

Meanwhile, Waziruddin also called for tougher penalties against perpetrators of hate crimes.

“This very legacy and symbol has been under attack in North America,” he said, referring to recent vandalism at Harriet Tubman School and at Salem Chapel, as well as a vandalized statue of Tubman in Annapolis, Maryland, in December.

“The students faculty and staff at Harriet Tubman School have been resilient,” Waziruddin said. “But to give them true justice, we should show we take hate crimes and anti-Black racism seriously in St. Catharines by using the laws we already have against hate crimes.”

Allan Benner is a St. Catharines-based reporter with the Standard. Reach him via email: allan.benner@niagaradailies.com