NewsNow Podcast

Episode 10:What's going on with Grimsby Recreation? ft. Trevor Ruzylo, Grimsby Supervisor of Recreation

Summer is upon us, and with it will come Recreational Programming in each of West Niagara's municipalities.

In this episode, Mike invites on Grimsby Supervisor of Recreation, Trevor Ruzylo to give a preview on all the family-friendly Summer activities his department has planned. They also discuss how the Provincial Government's plan to re-open the province may or may not shape future programming.

For more information on Recreational programing for each Niagara West Municipality, visit the following links:

Grimsby: https://www.grimsby.ca/en/parks-recreation-culture/recreation-programs.aspx

Lincoln: https://lincoln.ca/recreation

West Lincoln: https://www.westlincoln.ca/en/recreation-and-leisure/recreation-and-leisure.aspx

 

Episode 9: West Niagara Employment Trends ft. Gary Bruce

Ontario will soon begin the slow process of exiting its third COVID lockdown. With retail and other workplaces resuming operations, so too will they need to expand their workforces.

Gary Bruce, executive director of Niagara West's Employment Help Centres, is in a unique postion to share data on what kinds of businesses are looking to hire what kinds of employees.

In this episode, Gary discusses these trends and statistics with Mike, in an attempt to give a glimpse of what the future of employment in West Lincoln will soon look like.

For more stories from West Niagara, visit wn3.ca.

Episode 8: Grimsby's Downtown Businesses - Past, Present & Future ft. Bryan Macaulay

For more than a year, businesses in Grimsby and beyond have been languishing under COVID lockdown after COVID lockdown.

However, despite these hardships, the merchants of Downtown Grimsby have proven to be resilient and the Downtown Improvement Area is still seeing growth in terms of new businesses.

In this episode, Mike is joined by fellow Grimsby DIA board member Bryan Macaulay, the owner and photographer of the Village Studio. Together they discuss the history of the DIA as well as what's coming up for it on the near horizon.

Episode 7: A conversation with Mayor Dave Bylsma

West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma has recently come under fire for comments he made in a social media conversation which prompted official apologies statments and censuring from the Township and Niagara Regional Councils.

However, this is the latest in a series of controversies Bylsma has faced.

In this episode, Mike discusses and debates with the Mayor on the context, the justifications and even the regrets behind these incidents.

This episode expands on the story West Lincoln censures Mayor Bylsma, again, which was originally published in the May 27, 2021 edition of NewsNow. You can read this story online here.

Episode 6: Grimsby Music Series lookahead ft. Harley Valentine

This week's guest is a man who wants to hear Downtown Grimsby come alive with the sound of music.

Harley Valentine is a Grimsby-born artist, real estate investor and philanthropist who has teamed up with the Grimsby Music Studio to run a live music concert series this Summer. He chats with Mike about this concert series and the new stage venue that's gone up to  accompany it, as well as the importance of treating the Downtown as more than just Main Street.

Episode 5: Holding banks accountable ft. Sophie Krouse

Last month, Sophie Krouse undertook a one-person protest to shed light on the massive investments banks like RBC have poured into the fossil fuel industry. This protest was cut short when several police officers showed up to where she was protesting in front of the Grimsby RBC branch.

After threatening Sophie with a Mischief charge for writing chalk messages on public property, the cops ordered the Town to send in a scrubbing machine.

All this seemed excessive to Sophie, who said she did all her due diligence to ensure everything she did that day was legal.

In this episode, Sophie Krouse joins Mike to explain her side of the story as well as the aftermath. She also talks about the organization she was representing that day, Banking on a Better Future, and its goal of pushing Canada's biggest banks to truly invest in green energy.

Episode 4: An Update on the Town of Lincoln ft. CAO Mike Kirkopoulos

It's a double feature of Mikes this episode! This time, your host sits opposite to Mike Kirkopoulos, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the Town of Lincoln.

 

Together, they talk all things Lincoln, Ontario including: new public works projects, economic recovery during the pandemic and the Town's new tourism department among many other topics. This episode is a must-view for any Lincoln residents who want to stay in the know regarding Town news.

Episode 3: Voluntarism and Community ft. Bruce Bond

On this episode, Mike sits down with lifelong Grimsby Kinsman and community pillar Bruce Bond to talk about the importance of volunteers for the health of any community.

Bond recounts how he first got started as a volunteer with the Grimsby Kinsmen Club and share the many experiences he's had with that and other groups. He and Mike also chat about the decline of volunteerism and why it's important to bring in new blood to keep the cycle of community betterment going.

 

Episode 2: 'Save Grimsby' petition ft. Mark Kossek

This week Mike welcomes Mark Kossek, a Grimsby resident so frustrated with the state of Grimsby Council that he started a petition asking the Province to intervene.

Kossek's petition clicked past the 1000 signatures mark in barely a week, and on this episode he describes his pleasant surprise with the attention it has received so far. He and Mike also touch on the importance of municipal politics and how folks can become active participants with the government that affects their daily lives the most.

For more information on this topic, check out our story on the petition, which was published in the April 15, 2021 edition of NewsNow. To sign the petition, click here.

Episode 1 ft. HHS director of redevelopment Bart DeVries

Tune in and listen as Mike sits down with HHS director or redevelopment Bart DeVries to discuss the new designs and artistic renderings for the future West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.

This week's episode focuses on the first, concrete images of what the new hospital will look like and touches on the long road from the earliest 'Save the Hospital' rallies to this moment.

For more information on this topic, check out our story on the newly released art, which was published in the April 8, 2021 edition of NewsNow.