an administrative coordinator in the Office of the Provost with many of the ceramic figurines in the panoramic winter wonderland scenes he fastidiously creates from scratch every year on the eighth floor of One Silber Way “The biggest reaction I get is just awe—that I brought everything in and put it all together,” Nater says from his “mission control station” behind the reception desk. Surrounding him are evergreen garlands, twinkling Christmas lights, strand upon strand of tinsel, and enough ornaments, figurines, and glittery holiday baubles to cover more than five tables. There’s the BU table, Nater explains, decked out with crimson-and-white holiday decorations, as well as two tall ceramic Boston terriers. Then there’s the “disco wonderland” area, he says with a laugh: a pile of tinsel and silver snowflakes, with pops of blue—and a light-up menorah. To the left of his desk is an explosion of rainbow decorations, including a multicolored garland, ornaments, and tiny festive Christmas trees. That’s the “Latino-slash-Pride area,” he adds. Nater’s modus operandi has changed a bit this year, with the introduction of themed table displays, like the BU area (left) and a panorama he dubs his “disco wonderland” (right). “I came in on Black Friday at about 10 am, and I set it all up until 7 pm,” Nater recalls. “I did it all in one day, and since then I’ve been tinkering.” He got a little help unpacking the boxes (the items live in his shed during the rest of the year) and setting up the display from some holiday elves: friend Dwayne Rondeau, student employee Emmanuel Alvarado Tamayo (Sargent’25), and Kevin Gonzales (COM’08, Questrom’15), assistant vice president of operations for the building. The display stays up each year for a little over a month. “I’ll try to take it down during intersession,” he adds. “Or, if everyone really likes it and wants to see more, the end of January.” Nater began his ceramics collection 30 years ago, when he lived in an apartment that didn’t allow Christmas trees. “And then everyone started giving [ceramics] to me,” he explains. The ceramics came back into play when his son was little. “I used to do a display at home with a spinning Christmas tree in the middle, and my neighbors thought it was like a mall display,” he says. “They would all come in to look at it, because kids enjoy it. [Eventually] I thought, why not bring it here, too?” That was six years ago. Since then, the displays have become a holiday fixture at One Silber and something his colleagues eagerly look forward to. They’ve also started adding decorations from their own homes to the tableau. “It’s become really collaborative,” Nater says. “That’s the stuff I enjoy the most, that everybody feels it’s part of their own thing.” This year, he says, he was inspired to organize the display differently. “Before, the display would be a mix of decorations,” says Nater. “I usually don’t ever have an idea of what I’m going to do—I’ll try to figure it out as I go. This year, I opened the decorations and saw the red and I was like, I should do a red table.” That is how the BU-themed table came into being—and all the other themed tables next to it. The scale of the project is different this year, too. The six-foot tables are new (before, he set up his ceramic village on smaller office furniture), as are the different corners of the room reserved for different displays. Now, it’s a room-size affair. As he explains his modus operandi, Alison English, executive director of finance and administration in the provost’s office, comes into the reception area and nearly drops the letter she’s holding. “This is just gorgeous,” she gushes, and Nater obliges her with another explanation of the layout. Before she leaves, he offers her candy from one of three strategically placed bowls—there’s Swedish Fish, Starlight Mints, and Hershey’s Kisses to choose from—and she walks out with a smile. “Look at me—I’m Grand Central Station,” he says. “I greet everyone, and you have to keep everyone happy. I’m going to help, because I’m always helpful.” But with the holiday displays, the annual parties, the weekly batches of home-cooked meals, and the little daily surprises like baked goods and candy, it’s not just about keeping everybody happy. “I’ve been here 19 years, and my son’s a senior [at Questrom],” he adds. “He grew up here. It’s like a family.” What Does It Take to Create a Winter Wonderland? Ask This BU Employee I love this display! It made my day yesterday–made my week, actually, and I hope it stays up through January. Thank you, Chu, for all you do to brighten our lives! Chu really is the heart of the 8th and 9th floor. They joy he gets from spreading joy is infectious! Chu is the absolute best at creating a festive spirit! The display gets better every year. This reminded me of how much Chu made life better when I had one of my many occasions to visit his empire up there. Last time I saw him he was designing a Halloween costume for his little boy. And now he’s a senior! Wow! One of BU’s gems. Chu makes the festive season so much more festive –no bah humbugs in this bright corner of campus! Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Pioneering Research from Boston University giving him a fourth term in the riding since taking over from Gary Schellenberger in 2015 Nater garnered almost 34,000 votes – 53 per cent – with all 222 polls accounted for He was nearly 8,000 votes ahead of Liberal David Mackey while New Democrat Kevin Kruchkywich was third with almost 2,909 votes Wayne Baker from the People’s Party finished fourth with 1,069 votes “It’s a great honour to continue to serve the people of Perth-Wellington,” Nater said at the Mitchell Golf and Country Club “It looks like my vote total went up a little bit so hopefully that’s a reflection of my service to the community and the hard work I’ve tried to do for all people across Perth-Wellington.” Nater will once again serve in an opposition role after the Liberals won a fourth straight federal election though some projections suggested it would be another minority “There’s obviously going to have to be at least one party supporting the government on different pieces of legislation,” he said “There’s going to have to be folks reaching out across the aisle among all four of the parties Polls had the Conservative Party primed for a resounding victory early in the new year but those started to swing to the left after Justin Trudeau resigned as prime minister and U.S President Donald Trump ramped up his “51st state” rhetoric toward Canada “The only poll that matters is one that happens on election day,” Nater said don’t get too excited about the best polls Don’t get too negative about the worst poll And that’s what we’ve done throughout this campaign The 41-year-old from Mitchell first took office 10 years ago after Schellenberger retired when he was named shadow minister for Canadian Heritage Nater moved to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts which focused on reviewing reports of the auditor general of Canada Nater worked with Ontario Senator Robert Black to pass Bill S-227 in honour of Wellington County food activist Anita Stewart has been a Conservative stronghold since it was created in 2003 Liberal John Richardson was the last non-Conservative to represent Perth County serving as MP from 1993 to 2002 when the riding also included Waterloo-Wellington and then Middlesex counties cosmith@postmedia.com transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Your browser is too old. To use this website, please use Chrome or Firefox April 29, 2025 @ 12:00 amListowel Banner, News 185 Wallace Ave., Listowel, ON N4W 1K8. © All materials copyright Midwestern Newspapers, 2006-2025. Photographs and text found here may not be used for any purpose whatsoever without express permission. If you need something, please ask. Your feedback is welcome. Please direct comments, questions or suggestions to mwilson@midwesternnewspapers.com Recently elected Perth-Wellington MP John Nater is also tops in a student vote. That’s according to Student Vote Canada, which declared Nater the winner with 50.5 per cent of the vote. Nater officially won Perth-Wellington on Monday night with 53 per cent of the vote in the riding.  Liberal Dave Mackey had 27.7 per cent to finish in second place in the student vote, well back of his official 40.8 per cent result on Monday. Kevin Kruchkywich of the NDP was third in the student vote with 14.1 per cent of the vote, well above Monday’s official result, of 4.5 per cent. Nater topped the vote at Stratford District and St. Michael secondary schools, while Mackey was the winner and Kruchkywich runner-up at Stratford Intermediate School. Nationally, the overall student vote in Canada was much different than the actual result. The Conservatives would have a minority government, with 162 seats – including leader Pierre Poilievre winning his riding in the student vote. The Liberals would be the official opposition with 149 seats. The Bloc Quebecois won 17 ridings, the NDP garnered 13 and the Green Party picked up two seats. More than 925,000 elementary, intermediate and high school students at more than 6,000 schools in all 343 ridings across the country cast ballots.    Ainsley Nater scored five goals over two games to help lead the Mitchell NR Renovations U12B ringette team to a pair of Lower Ontario Ringette League victories March 8-9.  Article contentAgainst visiting Chatham March 8, Nater scored three goals while Bailee Chessell and Maddy Brodhagen both added a pair to lift the Stingers to a 7-2 win. The Thunder actually scored first, taking the lead just 28 seconds into the game, but Mitchell answered with three goals before the first half ended. Nater’s second goal of the game 2:25 into the second half bumped the Stingers’ lead en route to victory.  Maddie Broughton also had two assists in the win.  The next day at home to Dorchester, Lyla Gloor and Nater both had two-goal efforts in a 6-1 triumph. Nater set the tone by scoring 58 seconds into the game while Brodhagen added another to build a 2-0 halftime lead. Dorchester cut into the lead early in the second, ruining Malea Walkom’s shutout bid, but Nater’s power-play goal added some insurance. Mckenna Schoonderwoerd also scored while Carly Feeney and Chessell both had two assists.  A slow start by the Schoonderwoerd Bros. Concrete U12A team against visiting Tillsonburg resulted in too large of a hole to climb out of in LORL action March 8.  The Twisters scored twice in the opening 57 seconds en route to building a 5-1 halftime lead but had to hang on for a 5-3 win over the Stingers.  Maddix Anderson scored two goals 37 seconds apart with less than six minutes left to give the Stingers some life but could get no closer. Ella Francis also scored while Danna Upshall had three assists.  Jordyn Schellenberger scored two goals 32 seconds apart before the Ironwood Custom Framing & Carpentry U14B team’s game with visiting Forest was five minutes old, building a 3-0 lead en route to a 3-1 victory in league action March 9.  Sera Marion opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game and Forest could only score once in the game’s final three minutes to avoid being blanked by Josie Ruston.  The MNP Fun 3 (U10 McLean) team reeled off two more league wins over the March 8-9 weekend, visiting Forest and coming home with a 3-0 win March 8.  Emma Elliott had the shutout while Laura Louwagie scored twice to pace the attack. Brooklyn Hamilton also scored.  At home to Tillsonburg (M) March 9, Louwagie scored three goals and added an assist to lead a 5-3 win. Jade Ryan and Phoebe Cronin also scored, but Louwagie’s second goal of the game with just six seconds left in the opening half stood up as the winner.  Darla Schoonderwoerd recorded the hat trick as the Live Landscape & Design Fun 3 (U10 Cardno) squad visited Tillsonburg March 9 and came home with a 6-2 win.  Mackenley Cardno added two goals and two assists for the winners while Brooklyn Hamilton also found the net.  Ava Mahon scored twice as the B&M Wolfe Farms U16A team finished their Great Lakes Ringette League regular season with a 3-3 deadlock against visiting Waterloo March 9.  Hallee Vosper also scored and Kate Nolan had two assists as the Stingers wrapped up first place after the regular season. The club led 2-0 less than four minutes into the game and were up 3-1 with six minutes to go but couldn’t hang on for the win, allowing the tying goal while trying to kill a two-man disadvantage in the final minute.  Dorchester handed the Famme & Co. U16B team an 8-0 defeat March 9, as Mitchell played the contest without their regular netminder. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Perth-Wellington federal Conservative candidate and incumbent John Nater has been re-elected as MP for the riding after he ran for the Perth-Wellington seat that had been vacated by retiring Conservative MP Gary Schellenberger Nater won 42.9 percent of the vote in his riding that year He subsequently was re-elected in the 2019 and 2021 federal election Nater says he's thrilled to represent the riding again and thanked voters for placing their trust in him again He says in terms of key items he'd like to advocate for especially with the ongoing trade war with the US Nater says we need to be able to retaliate when necessary "So talking especially with the beef and pork sector that's gonna be an issue crossing the border because of the tariffs if they carry forward So we have to look at what we can do long-term We simply do not have adequate processing capacity for those industries in Canada So we need to look at that," Nater declared Nater shared that unlocking our national economy is key federal and provincial trade barriers within Canada need to be removed and that should be among the first things to be done in the House of Commons when everyone gets back there "So if we can get that done before Canada Day The second thing when it comes to trade barriers is we need to incentivize the provinces to do the same So there are some provinces that have already taken the first step to introduce provincial legislation so we need to get all 10 provinces and 3 territories on board and there are ways we can incentivize that," Nater noted would be to take the tax revenue generated from that and give it back to the provinces and territories that sign on to eliminate trade barriers Nater points out that another issue is finding ways to support and protect local Nater was a critic at the time the Online News Act was passed and he says more should be done to protect local journalism when it was posed to him that a lot of local media might be completely gone in 10 years time "So we do need to support local journalism whether it's local journalism initiatives or other ways to support it We need to make sure that those who tell local stories are here for 10 years to come and beyond that," said Nater His win in 2025 marks Nater's 4th term as Perth-Wellington MP he served as Shadow Minister for Canadian Heritage and was heavily involved in the Heritage Committee's work on the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal in 2021 Nater also served on the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs and was elected Vice Chair in 2022 Nater also served on the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts Soybeans and Wheat all finished lower to begin the week thousands of students in grades 5 to 8 from across the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) will gather for an unforgettable day of motivation and excitement at this year’s Empowerment Day Owen Sound City Council will formally address the province’s Strong Mayor powers at its upcoming May 12 council meeting 100 Women Who Care Grey Bruce proudly launched their 2025 giving season by presenting their largest donation to date — an impressive $33,200 — to Victim Services Bruce Grey The township is encouraging residents to join the "no mow May" movement which leaves dandelions and clover for pollinators to feast on while other food sources are low Over $300,000 is being shared among five different festivals and events in Perth-Wellington Sign in Join now, it's FREE! John Nater says that one thing about him hasn’t changed in the nearly 10 years he’s been the Member of Parliament for Perth-Wellington. Through a global pandemic that changed the way we conduct ourselves in a myriad of ways, to a housing crisis where people can’t afford homes the way they once could, to an unpredictable leader of a once-neighbourly nation, and to tumult here at home, Nater has maintained one characteristic steadfastly: dedication to service. Nater said he’s got no problem working across party lines in support of those issues, but admits it can be a challenge when you have to wait to see if a lifeline will be coming across the aisle but that doesn’t deter him from putting in the work. And there is plenty of work to be had. A housing market that is unfriendly to first time or young buyers, tariffs threats from American leadership, and internal barriers to success that need to be taken on are just a few examples Nater points to that rank highly among voter concerns for this election. He also addressed what he believes is the right solution to dealing with tariffs: knocking down all internal trade barriers within Canada. Nater added that money that comes back from tariffs needs to be applied to the areas that are most affected by the trade war rather than being dispersed elsewhere. He cited past instances where fertilizer tariffs landed in the laps of farmers but they weren’t the ones to get helped out when retaliatory tariffs were put in place. In a more macro look at the election, Nater admitted that newly elected Liberal leader Mark Carney has been able to take some of the Conservative’s thunder away by vowing to dismantle the consumer carbon tax. With election day just over a month away, Nater says he’s been on the doorstep of this election for some time but sees that some people are just coming around to understanding its implications now. “There are people that have been busy living their lives, running their businesses, but are just now starting to pay attention to things and how they can get their family from point A to point B while living a life that can be tough,” he said. “I think we need Canadians to test drive the different parties to see where we stand on each of the issues and really dig in deep to see where we stand and if that’s what they’re looking for.” One of those things people have been looking at in the run-up to this election is the leadership of Pierre Poilievre. For anyone not on his side of the political spectrum, Poilievre has a penchant for rubbing them the wrong way, but Nater has a different view of him. MP John Nater is the Conservative Party candidate, and the incumbent, in the federal election on April 28. MP John Nater says that coming into this election there are many commitments he and his party are making. The first and number one commitment is one he has made every election.  MP John Nater says that coming into this election there are many commitments he and his party are making. The first and number one commitment is one he has made every election.  “The number one commitment, the number one promise I make every election, is that I will work hard on behalf of the people of Perth-Wellington,” Nater said. “That is my first commitment. That is my number one priority. You will get my hard work, my dedication to this community each and every day, should I have the honour of continuing to serve as your Member of Parliament.”  Nater is Perth-Wellington’s Conservative Party candidate and the incumbent in the upcoming federal election scheduled for April 28. He has served as the riding’s MP since 2015, when the current Liberal government first formed under then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  Much has changed in the last nearly 10 years and as Nater starts his campaign knocking on doors, he is hearing one issue overall: affordability.  “And then, you know, making those concerns even worse is the threat of tariffs,” Nater said. “The threats from Trump south of the border is just one of those overwhelming challenges that kind of gets layered on top of all the other challenges that folks are experiencing right now.”  In response to the rising cost of living, Nater said his party is unveiling its complete platform as the month-long election period goes along. As of press time, Nater shared a number of initiatives a Pierre Poilievre-led Conservative government would make, including scrapping GST on new housing builds, taking the carbon tax off completely (rather than just the consumer portion which the Liberals have already scrapped), and supports for seniors.  “We’ve got some broad policies focused on public safety, public security, fixing the budget to make sure that, you know, we’re not leaving future generations with an untenable burden of debt,” Nater said.  In regard to removing GST from new housing, Poilievre had earlier announced that move would be funded by his government scrapping the $4-billion Housing Accelerator Fund, a federal program that is meant to support municipalities grow their housing stocks, entirely.  Nater said that loss won’t be felt in the region at all. No municipality in the region had ever been successful in securing funding.  Additionally, Nater said any recipient of the Liberal government’s dentalcare and pharmacare plans will not lose access to those programs under a Conservative government.  Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account. Despite Mark Carney being sworn in Friday as Canada’s 24th prime minister after the economist won last Sunday’s Liberal leadership race We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle content“It obviously looked for some time like the Liberal Party was going to have a bit of a coronation and  Mark Carney was going to be the one being coronated,” John Nater said in a Thursday morning phone call They’re still responsible for the mess that they’ve made over the last nine-and-a-half years This is still the one that will be held accountable for for the last nine-and-a-half years.” who won 85.9 per cent of the nearly 152,000 votes cast promised in his victory speech to cut both the capital gains tax increase and the consumer portion of what the Conservatives have dubbed the “carbon tax.” The proposed capital gains increase would have seen the inclusion rate of this tax go from one-half to two-thirds The consumer carbon tax was set to increase on April 1 bumping the fuel charge from $80 a tonne to $95 a tonne for provinces without their own version This would have seen the cost on a litre of gas increase from 17.57 cents to 20.91 cents calling it an “11th-hour” conversation even if the Liberal government does make the changes those are all on the books and both require legislation to reverse the changes that they have made So I think what we’ll see happen is that they’re going to have a bit of a tax trick and suspend the carbon tax for a time but they’re going to have those taxes right back on there potentially even at higher rates,” he said a climb that began shortly after Justin Trudeau announced his resignation in early January According to the popular polling website 338canada.com the Conservatives were polling at 45 per cent That has now tightened to just a six-point gap separating the two parties with Conservatives hovering at 39 and the Liberals soaring to 33 Given the polls are sometimes showing the parties up and sometimes showing them down Nater said he doesn’t read too much into the numbers “The only poll that matters is the one that happens on election day,” he said dismissing the idea that his party needs to change their messaging the Conservatives will put their platform forward for Canadians to decide Pierre (Poilievre) and our entire team has been clear that we’re standing with Canadians,” he said Although the election had not yet been called and Carney was only sworn in as prime minister on Friday morning speculation is that it will come in the next week or two Nater said he’s prepared for an election campaign  “We’re ready to hit the campaign trail at the moment the elections are called and we’re ready to put our names for the people and let them have have their decision,” he said watwood@postmedia.com John Nater has secured his seat for a fourth term Nater received 55.1 per cent of the vote or just about 25,500 votes A total of 46,204 votes have been counted so far in Perth-Wellington Liberal Mackey got 39.5 per cent of the vote coming in at a strong second with almost 19,000 votes And in third was NDP Kruchkywich with 4.6 per cent of the vote or 2,208 ballots cast in his name Neighbouring ridings also voted conservative yet a Liberal government will be in power federally with Mark Carney as Prime Minister Polling numbers will change as final votes are counted Nater continues his strong lead with 4,945 votes or 52.9 per cent of the vote Liberals are trailing in second at 40.2 per cent of the vote NDP is in third with 4.8 per cent of the vote 20 polls reporting with over 4,000 votes cast and Nater is in the lead with 54.5 per cent of the vote Mackey has dropped to 39 per cent share of the vote Kruchkywich has jumped to 4.3 per cent of the vote The first 10 polling stations have reported in the ballots cast Conservative Nater leads with 954 votes or 49.8 per cent share of the vote Liberal Mackey has been a close second all night with 43.8 per cent share of the vote or 838 votes NDP’s Kruchkywich has 82 votes or 4.3 per cent Keep checking back for more updates as they become available The first poll has reported in and Conservative Nater has 45.8 per cent share of the vote Liberal Mackey is a close second with 41.7 per cent share of the vote NDP’s Kruchkywich has 8.3 per cent of the first poll votes Stay tuned for more polling numbers as they become available Polls have now closed in Ontario and the results will begin coming in for the riding There are 222 polls that need to report votes in Perth-Wellington Taking a look at the riding’s statistics from the 2021 election the Conservative’s won with 26,984 votes of the total vote There were 85,049 eligible voters in Perth-Wellington during the last election The riding has been conservative lead since 2004 under the leadership of Gary Schellenberger until Nater’s election in 2015 Conservative John Nater is seeking reelection in the Perth-Wellington riding Nater was elected as the Member of Parliament for Perth—Wellington in the 42nd Canadian Federal Election in 2015 and has been MP since There are three other candidates running for MP in the riding This includes Liberal’s David Mackey NDP’s Kevin Kruchkywich and Wayne Baker (People’s Party of Canada) Nater won in the 2021 federal election with 48.6 per cent of the vote with Liberal Brendan Knight in second with 13,684 votes and Kruchkywich in third with 9,552 votes A total of 55,577 valid votes were cast in the previous federal election It’s a way for him to avoid accountability That was the response from Perth-Wellington MP John Nater when he was asked about his reaction to the news that Justin Trudeau had announced that he was resigning as the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Liberal Party.  “What we saw was him walking out the door before the Canadian people had a chance to pass their judgement in an election,” said Nater Trudeau has shut down Parliament for the next two and a half months We’re facing such challenging issues both here in Canada and internationally so to shut down Parliament I don’t think that is in the best interest of Canadians.” During his press conference on Monday, Trudeau announced that parliament will be prolonged until March 24 What this means is the former Prime Minister has effectively hit the pause button on Parliament The current government also remains in power during this time. Nater says this presents a challenge especially with the new president set to be sworn into office in the United States in the very near future.  “It’s a real challenge and concern especially with Parliament prorogued,” said Nater “It really handcuffs the government and Parliament from responding to some of the concerns whether it be tariffs or other international challenges that may come from south of the border or other parts of the world There are no legislative means to respond with prolonged Parliament.” The messaging remains clear from the Conservative Party: they will bring forward a vote of no-confidence regardless of who becomes the new leader of the Liberal Party we will vote no-confidence in the government the first opportunity it arises so likely in late March,” said Nater “At the end of the day it’s up to the NDP and the Bloc to vote with their conscience and vote no-confidence in the government Singh said even yesterday that he remains committed to the non-confidence vote so we will see if they follow through on those comments.”  Nater also said it doesn’t matter who the next Liberal party leader is as all members have backed the Trudeau regime over the last nearly decade in power.  “Each prospective candidate for new leader has endorsed the policy platform of the Liberal Party,” said Nater “The actions they have undertaken over the last nine and a half years changes they have made to different financial measures means it doesn't change anything for us We are still committed to bring forward our positive conservative common sense plan whenever the next election takes place.  The federal election is scheduled for October of this year but the Conservative Party remains committed to the non-confidence vote which will need support of other MP’s to pass Trudeau told reporters on Monday during his announcement that fighting for the middle class was something he was proud of. London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos pointed to the work done to put childhood poverty on the decline the work done during the first Trump Presidency and the work done by the government during the pandemic as wins for Trudeau’s legacy. Despite being on opposite sides of the aisle Nater said that he does have respect for Mr we disagree on a lot of fundamental issues from political and government perspective," said Nater From a personal perspective anyone who has served in high office like that you have to have a degree of respect for that person Trudeau’s service to the country and from a personal perspective I wish him well.” Perth-Wellington MP John Nater sat down with Beacon Herald reporter Bill Atwood for a wide-ranging interview that looked at the challenges and successes of the past 12 months as well as what the local politician expects in what could be a tumultuous 2025 We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentThe interview has been edited for clarity how crazy was December with Chrystia Freeland’s resignation I don’t think anyone expected that first thing Monday morning when we were expecting a fall economic statement that afternoon To see the finance minister (and) deputy prime minister quit in such a spectacular fashion – really breaking her ties with the prime minister after having been in his cabinet for nine years – it was quite a spectacular news day and I think we’re still seeing the ramifications of that decision to resign And I think it really begs the question of what happens next I think there’s going to be a lot of soul searching from the different political parties our party has said we were ready for an election but I think there’ll be a lot of questions being asked around a lot of kitchen tables this Christmas season Q: If you can just look back on the year for you and your constituency there have obviously been challenges over the past year transportation issues – those things have obviously been challenging This past summer was far more positive of a tourism season It feels like we’re getting back to the normal Still a little bit of ways to go to get back to 2019 levels And I think that from a small business perspective we’re seeing positives this year but we’ve also seen the challenges as well we’re still in a period of financial instability and people are still worried What we’ve seen – this kind of is the worry and the hesitancy – is at both the household level That hesitancy to perhaps go that extra step Interest rates have gone down a little bit but they’re still higher than they were pre-pandemic that fear of risk to take some of those jumps right now especially as we approach the new year as well There’s a lot of projects we’ve been working on with different organizations in the community Working with the municipalities going forward as well There’s a lot of important projects we’d like to see undertaken if you talk to each of the nine municipalities or obviously infrastructure projects we’d like to see undertaken – a lot related to water and wastewater things that may not be exciting at first blush but projects that are really important to be able to make things happen and to move forward Q: Are you ready for the election whenever it is called A: I’m ready for the election the minute the writ drops We have a great team of local volunteers who’ve already done a lot of the hard work to get things ready for when the election happens I just need to throw on my running shoes and I’ll be ready to go when the time comes Q: Is it harder to get funding or do things when you’re not the party in power A: There’s always a challenge when you’re in opposition I think one of the biggest things we’ve seen locally is that the current Liberal government has made such strange stipulations I think the most ridiculous is the housing accelerator fund with the housing accelerator fund any community over 10,000 was lumped in as a large urban municipality But it gets even more ridiculous when you lump in Perth East and North Perth – communities like Atwood Milverton and Drayton being considered larger municipalities being in opposition is obviously a different perspective but I think the bigger challenge is the fact the government puts big-city restrictions on small rural communities that just don’t make any sense and then leaves communities like ours completely left out of government programs Q: The CBC reported you asked for funding through the housing accelerator fund A: This is where the Liberal spin comes in and so those applications were all rejected each and every one of the applications from Perth-Wellington was rejected It’s a program that doesn’t support our communities I’m not going to support a program that doesn’t help communities in Perth-Wellington and we’re going to take that funding that would have gone into that program and put it into two measures that will actually get more homes built Q: We’ve seen incumbent parties across the provinces either get booted out or how do you know it’s people actually wanting Conservative government and are not just tired of Justin Trudeau and the Liberals so we have to be very careful and be very committed to taking the issues to Canadians being very clear where we stand on the key issues that matter to them Pierre Poilievre has released some of his core we’re going to have a full platform out there for Canadians to look at It’s not enough for us to say that the current Liberal government is bad and that Justin Trudeau should be booted as prime minister We also need Canadians to know where we stand on the issues that matter your party has not really put forth an environmental plan yet we’ve committed to getting rid of the carbon tax We’re also committed to a full review of the entire tax system within the first 100 days of getting into office Pierre has been very clear that we’re going to take a different approach A lot of that’s going to be fleshed out in the actual platform which will be released closer to the election president-elect has been calling Canada the 51st state there are going to be some really challenging times going forward in terms of Canada-U.S but I look back and we are a proud country We are living in the best country on Earth it might be best to ignore the silliness that may get tweeted south of the border but we have to remember that we share the longest undefended border Looking back at some of the strong relationships in the past I think it was President Kennedy who said geography made us neighbours (but) history made us friends and we have a strong economic tie – literally billions of dollars of goods crossing the border every single week – so those are the things we need to highlight Q: Aaron Martin of the local chamber of commerce said business owners in this area are worried about potential tariffs What is your message to business owners who are worried about tariffs – and similar measures – going forward A: My message to businesses is to stay firm and to work within their business organizations and keep advocating for the positive benefits that come from doing trade with Canada we have a great manufacturing industry here in Canada We have some of the benefits from a skills perspective that they simply do not have elsewhere in the world our benefit is that we promote our side: We promote our technological advantage we promote our skills advantage and we do that going forward And that’s one of the messages we need to take from a Canadian perspective in the United States – that we have a good relationship and don’t cut off your nose to spite your face because that’s going to be the effect if we start getting into a tariff war do you expect to see more interprovincial trade A: We need to work to the point where we try to avoid the tariffs because that doesn’t do anything positive for anything But from an interprovincial trade perspective we are losing billions of dollars annually from the roadblocks that are put in place for interprovincial trade it is easier to do business internationally than it is with neighbouring provinces We really need to cut on down those trade barriers especially when it comes to some of the products that we produce right here in this neck of the woods What is the Conservative Party’s plan to address this A: The Grocery Code of Conduct needs to have real teeth and whether that’s done through the code of conduct We have far too much saturation in the grocery retail market you look at the costs that go into producing foods and how they get there because you look at each point along the food supply chain it’s being applied from the farm to the processing facility; from the processing facility to the warehouse and then from the warehouse to the final destination Q: You voted against the Liberal tax holiday A: The way I looked at it was it is a temporary tax measure We call it a temporary two-month tax trick and what we’ve heard from small businesses is that they were not consulted in advance and that the cost that they have to update their systems for the two months is simply not working so you’re talking about chips and pretzels I talked to some of the local business owners They’re talking about dozens of hours of work that need to go into (changing) their systems If you’re not a corporate retail store where the corporate offices flip a switch and update all their computer systems Q: You supported former Quebec premier Jean Charest for Conservative leader What has Pierre Poilievre done to win your support A: Pierre won me over on the day he won the leadership He gave an amazing speech that night to unite our party most considerate people I have ever had the privilege of working with I do not know when the guy has time to sleep because he is constantly out there hearing their concerns and bringing their concerns back He is singularly focused on the betterment of the people in Canada I’ve never seen anyone work so hard and so dedicated to it and I am 100 per cent behind his leadership Q: What would you like to see happen to bring housing and rental costs down A: One of the measures is scrapping the GST on new home builds under a certain threshold (Also) incentives for municipalities to build more homes so those that build more homes would get a housing bonus while large urban ones who do not would face consequences We also see that a lot in the larger urban ones where they actually put up roadblocks to prevent new homes being built but supporting communities that way to make sure that the homes get built I’ve had lots of great meetings with Mayor (Martin) Ritsma about the Cooper Ssite and other measures We’ve had our shadow minister for housing here He’s had some great conversations with the mayor But we’ve really focused on our local communities and bringing back their perspectives on what we can do to get more homes built Q: Does just getting more homes-built help renters A: One of the things we need to focus on in terms of rental is getting more rental properties built So one of the things that Pierre highlighted during his leadership campaign two years ago was measures to take the GST to get that incentive to build more of those rental properties you can’t rent them and then the cost does get driven up Q: How can you work with municipalities and your constituents to get more purpose-built rentals when they’re concerned about not having a 10-storey building next to their single detached home in my backyard perspective’ (and) working with communities to get the appropriate type of housing built What we’ve seen in a lot of communities is new and innovative solutions I like to highlight this one up in Palmerston where the new build was built in the townhouse style but they were built with additional units in the basement so there was an extra unit that could be rented to a to a family member getting those types of more innovative solutions Editor's Note: This story was previously posted on StratfordToday.ca Shockwaves went through the country earlier this week when hours before the release of the Fall Economic Statement federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that she was resigning from her position.  “This week’s events provide yet another reason why we need an election to give Canadians the opportunity to decide who they wish to govern our country,” said Perth-Wellington Conservative MP John Nater.  who was a critical part of the Trudeau cabinet is a big blow to Trudeau and the governing Liberals.  “Mere hours before she was to release the statement which was expected to – and in fact did – crash through the $40 billion so-called fiscal guardrail the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance effectively announced that she had lost confidence in the Prime Minister,” said Nater.  Freeland had pledged that the government would stay at or under the $40 billion deficit But the Fall Economic Statement which was delivered by House Speaker Karina Gould highlighted that the deficit had not slowed but rather grew to nearly $62 billion A by-election loss in British Columbia dealt another blow the third such loss in 2024 alone for the Liberals 13 Liberal Members of Parliament have called on the Prime Minister to resign while 24 more have declared that they will not be seeking re-election.  Francis Drouin (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell) Helena Jaczek (Markham-Stouffville),Ken McDonald (Avalon) and Ken Hardie (Fleetwood-Port Kells) favour Trudeau resigning and they are also not seeking re-election.  Justin Trudeau is being kept in office by one person: Jagmeet Singh,” said Nater “It’s up to Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to stop propping up the Liberal Government and give Canadians a say.” the local MP was asked if he had heard any rumblings about another non-confidence motion being made against the Prime Minister.  “There are no provisions to trigger a confidence vote in the House of Commons prior to Christmas,” said Nater.  “That said we will use all tools at our disposal to continue to hold the Liberal government to account.”  It was a tense sitting in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Wednesday there was some debate over the government’s purchase of a luxury apartment in New York that was used by Tom Clark, Canada’s consul general in New York Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre questioned the Prime Minister about the luxury features included with the apartment including a handcrafted copper soaking tub. During prime minister Justin Trudeau’s response including some that contained disparaging remarks.  didn’t hear any of the comments,” said Perth-Wellington MP John Nater “Obviously I heard the reaction but I didn’t hear the comments directly.” at the time could not be pinned down to one specific person but further investigation has revealed at least one of the comments came from Conservative MP Garnett Genuis who represents the Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan riding.  The comment in question stated, 'Does he engage with them in the bathtub?'. This was in regards to the prime minister’s statement that, “Clark’s role is to engage with international leaders on various issues.” “Mr Genuis stood up in the house to clarify his comments,” said Nater “He was referring to the opulence of the nine million dollar condo and he did not intend the comments to be taken as homophobic He clarified the comments and I think we need to take him at his word.”  another unidentified voice was heard saying 'did Tom get the top bunk?'.  The Perth-Wellington MP was asked about the place of homophobic language and rhetoric especially since the City of Stratford has seen the Pride crosswalk defaced.  “We need to condemn any form of violence or vandalism against the 2SLGBTQ+ community,” said Nater “That’s what I have done in my position locally and I have been honoured to attend a number of community meetings and events in support of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and I will continue to show my support.” Perth-Wellington Conservative MP John Nater says the Liberal Party is the same one that has created challenges for Canadians for nearly 10 years “They still need to be held accountable for the problems they have created,” Nater told MyStratfordNow Mark Carney will become Canada’s next prime minister after being sworn in by the Governor General The leadership vote was triggered by Trudeau’s resignation announcement in January the Liberals trailed Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in the polls by nearly 25 points Carney is expected to call an election sooner rather than later Nater said it’s time for Canadians to have their voices heard he has been in the riding more than in the past talking to constituents including small business owners and community organizations about the current economic climate Nater has represented the riding since 2015 “Obviously we can’t control what the United States does but we can be ready to react when they undertake these illegal and unjust tariffs on Canadian products.” Carney’s first promise as leader was to eliminate the consumer carbon tax — a move widely seen as a response to Poilievre’s persistent “Carbon Tax Carney” slogan Poilievre was quick to sharpen his attacks on Carney on the social media platform X Nater said a Canada-first approach is necessary to ensure citizens are protected The Perth-Wellington MP said he is buying a new pair of running shoes in anticipation of getting back on the election campaign trail “I am ready for an election whenever it’s called.” When Jesus Nater knew that he was going back to in-person work at the provost’s office in September 2020 he jokingly asked his seamstress mother to come up with matching bow ties to go with the masks she was sewing for him She quickly whipped up about 20 matching bow tie and mask sets When he joked that he couldn’t repeat a mask and tie combo his sister stepped in: she started making sets for him Nater began taking selfies every morning to show his friends and family his daily look I still send that morning text!” he says.  Nater has worn almost 200 unique bow tie and mask combos and he has yet to debut about 150 more sets The provost’s office administrative coordinator says people in the building always smile when they see him wearing his accessories “the folks at the testing center are particularly intrigued to see what I’m wearing each time I go in.” Alene Bouranova can be reached at abour@bu.edu Walking in to see Chu smiling beneath his mask each morning certainly brightened each day I worked in person the past 10 months Thank you for highlighting his creative and fun approach to masking – there’s no doubt it positively impacted many of us the past several months I am the proud owner of some original Nater masks It doesn’t surprise me that he would make a pandemic into a fashion statement! You should see what he can do with wood pallets….The best part of being related to this handsome guy is that we also got some of these awesome masks too…❤ .( not w the bow ties tho)…One of my cousins loves her candy cane mask so much…she doesn’t care that its “out of season” I see her flaunting it all over the city but hey she’ll be all set for Christmas in July I enjoyed making all the masks and bowties for my brother and then some so he can give away/share Till this day we share selfies every morning of us in our gear lol Love that you’ve been doing this for Jesus :)) You should see his PowerPoint presentation of all of them :) You never cease to put a smile on my face Walking in to see Chu in these fun masks and ties (and of course corresponding Dad jokes) has been one of the best parts of coming on campus this past year People say “I love you” in so many different ways Thank you to the entire Nater family for sharing their fantastic creativity with this expression of love and concern I’m so pleased this was highlighted in BU Today Creating something fun and unique during a stressful time is so refreshing and welcome Can’t wait to see you when I get back to the office Bravo Jesus~ Your wonderful personality shines through even in a pandemic a provider of EV charging hardware and software solutions has named Kevin Nater as customer relations officer He was most recently CEO and co-founder of Briggo a mobile food-tech platform and coffee beverage brand that was acquired by Coca-Cola Co made-to-order consumer experience and robotic tech platform Nater was responsible for strategic direction go-to-market development and execution with B2B relationships including Compass Group a world-leading POS and labeling solutions provider and customer engagement tools for any retail and hospitality establishment with a POS or mPOS environment Get the latest news and resources from Kiosk Marketplace The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. liegt nicht in der gewünschten Sprache vor Möchten Sie auf die Startseite der gewählten Sprache wechseln The content you are trying to access is not available in the selected language Would you like to switch to the home page of the selected language Climate & Resources Interiors & Design Products & References Videos & Podcasts Current Issue Collaborations Advertorials Company Portraits BAU 2025 Detail About Schüco Detail About Solarlux BAU 2025 Events DETAIL Product Award 2023 DETAIL Award 2024 DETAIL Award 2022 Detail Inspiration DETAIL Magazine DETAIL Inspiration DETAIL Books Contributors 60 Years DETAIL Digital Lab DETAIL Product Award 2023 DETAIL Award 2022 Legal Notice Data protection Social Media Media Kit Newsletter Climate & Resources Interiors & Design Products & References Current Issue Collaborations Events In keeping with the lush southern slopes of the Bernese Alps the new school building by Office Oblique in Naters asserts itself in green the town of Naters lies at the centre of the canton of Valais; from its lowest point on the right bank of the Rhone to the highest point on the Aletschhorn there is a great difference in altitude of more than 3500 m The new building completes an ensemble of school buildings that have stood since the 1970s and been constantly expanded resulting in a heterogeneous assemblage of structures The new primary school bounds the western part of the lot and continues the principle of the existing outdoor spaces Its proximity to the surrounding residential buildings gives the school a hybrid character somewhere between villa and place of learning The floor plan comprises two nesting rectangles and has a modular design The classrooms are arranged around a central cloakroom area that functions as additional learning space As a nod to the open-air school designed by Johannes Duiker architect and representative of Dutch Rationalism one loggia on each upper level serves as an outdoor classroom These spaces face the campus and sports field which features corrugated aluminum panels and grey-green acrylic The same depth of relief in both materials creates a continuous texture with different materiality The lightness of the facade contrasts with the load-bearing building parts of exposed concrete on the ground floor The concept of a “refined shell construction” The walls and ceilings of the interior have also been executed in exposed concrete Large-format acoustic panels have been installed flush with the ceiling on the ground floor and first upper level they have been suspended in order to create space for the technical installations that are located there The bands of skylights positioned between the classrooms and the cloakroom accentuate this feeling of openness The design allows the possibility for expansion: six further classrooms can be added to the ten existing ones two building-high aluminum walls interrupt the strip-structured facade and hint at future additions Architecture: Office ObliqueClient: Gemeinde Naters The school complex at Lake Geneva is the result of a joint project by three up-and-coming architectural practices Julien Boidot and Emilien Robin designed a complex made up of six buildings that forms a focal point in the fragmented village structure Erlev is the first wood-built school of the new generation The sustainable material unites construction and design to create a future-oriented learning environment Weissenstein school in the town of Würenlingen has gained two new buildings designed by the Zurich-based studio Ernst Niklaus Fausch Partner Pale clinker facades are the defining element of the volumes DETAIL ARCHITECTURE GmbH is a leading international platform for design and construction solutions in architecture usable information and inspiration to all of the world's leading architects and architectural schools based on a unique project database with thousands of buildings documented in detail - in DETAIL EventsDETAIL InspirationDETAIL Inspiration FAQMagazineBooksCollectionCancel Subscription Social Media Register now for our newsletter and get a €10 voucher for the DETAIL Shop By sending this message, I agree that the data provided may be processed and used for the purpose of sending the newsletter. I may at any time revoke my consent. (Data protection) For players from the 1970s and 1980s who worried the game had forgotten their achievements the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction class of 2019 provided an injection of hope for their respected causes That was particularly good news for one standout from the 1970s and 1980s, Swen Nater A former rebounding champ while with the San Diego Clippers Nater made a living on the glass for 11 seasons in the ABA and NBA in the process becoming the only player to lead each league in rebounding Nater spoke with Nothin’ But Nets about his Hall of Fame candidacy on Friday after he was nominated by Hall of Famer Bill Walton a guy who knows a thing or two about great center play in the NBA Sikma waited more than 20 years to be enshrined after playing 14 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics and Milwaukee Bucks The big man was named to seven All-Star games but never made an All-NBA team and finished with career averages of 15.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game That could similarly be a factor that damages Nater’s Hall of Fame claims although he was picked in each of his first two pro seasons in the ABA when he led the NBA in rebounding at 15.0 boards per game with the San Diego Clippers The last center spot for the Western Conference came down to two players Sikma averaged 14.3 points and 11.1 rebounds for a Seattle club that reached the Western Conference Finals after winning the NBA title the previous season Nater put up 13.4 points and 15.0 boards for a Clippers club that played before sparse crowds in San Diego long before the days of YouTube mixes and League Pass when finding the NBA on your television dial was a chore — so much of one that the NBA Finals were aired on tape delay after the late local news Nater is 69 now and has remained close to the game since retiring after the 1984-85 season a year he spent leading the Italian Serie A in rebounding at age 35 He was complimentary of the players to be inducted this year but also made the point that he — and others from his era — are still awaiting their turn Nater should get some consideration for the Hall based on the fact that no player in pro basketball history may have traveled a stranger path to the NBA © 2025 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER ","https://fansided.com/",{"alt":"70","src":"71","url":"72"},{"type":"6z","value":"73"},"link","Minute Media","https://www.minutemedia.com/",{"text":"76","url":"77"},{"type":"75","value":"78"},"All Rights Reserved Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands before crossing the digital divide in 2012 A newly minted grandfather who is happy to be back offering up some opinions One of the game’s best rebounders still hopes for a call to the Basketball Hall of Fame.",{"html":"3pa"},{"type":"3p9","value":"3pb"},"For players from the 1970s and 1980s who worried the game had forgotten their achievements That was particularly good news for one standout from the 1970s and 1980s, Swen Nater Nater spoke with Nothin’ But Nets about his Hall of Fame candidacy on Friday after he was nominated by Hall of Famer Bill Walton A word that gets thrown around a lot in athletic discussions today is “unique.” it is safe to say that the path Swen Nater followed to play 11 professional seasons in the ABA and NBA and one in Italy was indeed unique On his website Nater described how he eventually emigrated to the U.S a journey than ended with the boy and his sister being reunited with their parents and younger brother By the time he was a junior at Los Angeles’ Wilson High School Nater had grown to 6-foot-4 and was the second-tallest student in the school But he was cut from the basketball team and didn’t try out as a senior a professional basketball player who never played in high school Nater wound up at Cypress Community College in Orange County who had been an All-American at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden came at a gas station where Nater was working after graduating high school Nater improved rapidly at Cypress and Johnson reached out to Wooden about the Dutch immigrant Wooden offered Nater a scholarship while being very direct about the fact the kid might not play much at all That was because Nater would be playing behind Bill Walton for the Bruins Walton and the Bruins was incredibly beneficial more so than had he gone just about anywhere else and started every game When asked about his decision and his time at UCLA Nater became the first player in the history of the NBA Draft to be selected in the first round after playing at an NCAA school without starting a single game If North Carolina’s Nassir Little goes in the first round next month he would become just the second player to have done so Nater had been drafted by the ABA’s Floridians in 1972 and the Virginia Squires had acquired his rights after the Floridians folded Nater had been drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA and rather than go back up another all-time great big man from UCLA The perennially cash-strapped Squires sold Nater to the San Antonio Spurs earning ABA Rookie of the Year and All-ABA second team honors After leading the ABA with an average of 16.4 rebounds per game for the Spurs in 1974-75, Nater was acquired by the Nets in a trade for Larry Kenon in June 1975 The problem was that Nater had finished the 1974-75 season playing on a broken knee cap in his left knee and was recovering from offseason surgery that slowed him to start the next season The Nets ultimately traded Nater back to Virginia in late January 1976 He spoke highly of his time with the Nets, however, and the joy of getting to play even a half a season with Julius Erving about a month after the Virginia franchise had been folded by the ABA Nater said the qualify of play in the ABA is better than many of today’s fans and analysts realize At the time Swen Nater entered the NBA in 1976 the odds were pretty good you were going to be going up against an all-time great center just about every night the league was dripping with eventual Hall of Fame big men Nater thinks that level of competition gets overlooked now that it’s so far back in the rear view mirror Offensive rebounding was something Nater did well and took pride in Nater owns the one of the top rebounding rates in NBA history among players with the necessary 400 games to qualify He had 5,297 rebounds in 13,868 NBA minutes — an astonishing rate of 0.382 rebounds per minute Nater ranks 32nd in NBA history with an average of 10.8 rebounds per game His 13.1 rebounds per game during his three ABA seasons placed him fourth all-time Notice that Nater’s rebounding rate is far ahead of anyone from his own era — the next closest are Malone and Walton at 19.8 percent Nater is also one of just eight players to score 30 points and grab 30 rebounds in the same game scoring 30 points and getting 33 rebounds — 15 on the offensive glass Rodman made the Hall of Fame primarily on the strength of his rebounding Nater makes a compelling case to do the same Swen Nater didn’t play basketball competitively until he was in community college but became one of the best rebounders the game has ever seen despite the late start The answer to the question of how he was able to develop that rebounding skill so quickly is a simple one And there was one old tool that helped Nater a lot, the classic McCall’s Rebounder The adjustable height of the machine goes up to 12 feet with a ball placed in a rack to be pulled down He said some of his passion for rebounding was instilled in him from his collegiate coaches the pace was faster and teams looked to get out in transition much more than they do in today’s game Nater says the cumulative effect of running on a team can be big in wearing an opponent down Nater now works as a sporting goods buyer for Costco Corporation in the Seattle area after a nine-year stint as a coach at San Diego Christian College (then Christian Heritage College) where he built the program from the ground up in 1985 and remained until 1994 winning a National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association championship in the process He also has written six books on basketball two in conjunction with Wooden and one with Pete Newell a Hall of Fame coach known for his expertise working with big men Nater would like to think what he’s done since leaving the game as a player should be considered as well Nater said the benefits would be huge … and tangible But he has another reason that is closer to home Swen Nater played during the greatest era for big men the NBA has seen and more than held his own leading the NBA in rebounding and earning a reputation for being tireless on the backboards Considering the unique path he took to get there and all he’s done to promote the game since his playing days ended a Hall of Fame berth would be a fitting reward for one of the most unexpected lifetimes in basketball we may ever see Perth-Wellington MP John Nater finds himself in the spotlight as vice-chair of a House of Commons committee expected to meet in the next few weeks with David Johnston the federal government's special rapporteur on foreign interference The big question the procedure and house affairs committee will ask is why Johnston has not called for a public inquiry Johnston spent several months reviewing information about alleged foreign interference and threats against public officials and produced an initial report he stopped short of recommending a public inquiry noting classified information needs to stay secret Media have highlighted allegations of Chinese interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections as well as threats against lawmakers, including Nater's riding neighbour and Conservative colleague "I still think we need an independent judicial inquiry to get to the bottom of things," Nater said during an interview at his constituency office in Stratford on Friday.  Johnston's commitments to his country but said he is not a judge can't compel information and can't disclose certain information due to the nature of the investigation and national security considerations.  Johnston found in his first report that a formal commission of inquiry would be held mostly behind closed doors. The Inquiries Act says the government can appoint commissioners who have the subpoena power to compel testimony They can require written and oral evidence and they can require witnesses to swear to an oath They can also demand that the government or other parties produce documents for them to examine.  when you are dealing with national security there does have to be certain safeguards in place We have seen different judicial inquiries in the past...that have come out with reports where all Canadians got to see what happened." handcuffed from (talking about) a lot of things that a lot of Canadians want to hear." The procedure and house affairs committee deals with the "nuts and bolts of parliament" tasked with keeping an eye on the way things work in the House of Commons Another responsibility is anything related to the Canada Elections Act when media reports alleged foreign countries could be interfering in Canada's federal elections that part of the committee's work focused on electoral redistribution looking at new electoral maps across Canada Nater said the committee has been knee-deep in meetings including security and intelligence experts as well as Canadians who have been targeted by foreign government including from Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) have been recalled several times "We are trying to find out what happened where it happened and who was influenced," Nater explained.  It is alleged that family members of Chong Nater said an apparatus of the government was aware of it for more than two years yet the MP was never informed about allegations against himself or his family members.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he learned of the allegations through a Globe and Mail story while CSIS has stated the threat did not warrant informing the minister of public safety or the prime minister.  Nater said that multiple MPs have been targeted and the committee will receive briefings from CSIS regarding Erin O'Toole Conservative party leader from 2020 to 2022 There are also "everyday Canadians" allegedly targeted "The influence and threats go beyond politicians to everyday Canadians who feel this on a daily basis the Perth-Wellington MP would like to see a change in how threats are received and assessed and new procedures put in place so when an MP or citizen is targeted "So they can protect themselves and protect their families." Nater said there also needs to be more public awareness.  who is targeted and what types of threats are out there There needs to be governance changes to ensure this information is shared and those types of lapses don't happen again." Johnston's work has largely focused on looking at government documents and speaking with security officials but he said he intends to spend the remainder of his mandate listening to Canadians.  The lengthy list of issues he hopes to tackle in the proposed public hearings: how the government turns intelligence into evidence; examining the role of a parliamentary committee that examines national security issues and whether it can be strengthened; potential amendments to Canadian laws including those that govern national security agencies that could help the country foreign interference; changes that would improve how information is shared within government and clarify who is responsible to react to intelligence; ways for the government to declassify information and enhance transparency; how the government deals with threats against elected officials.   - With files from The Canadian Press  - Text and Photos © Lona Kunz and senior grand prix rider Carla Aeberhard became the winners at the 2022 Swiss Dressage Championship held in Roggwil on 30 September - 2 October 2022 won all three classes in the pony division and was the clear overall winner in a field of 8 riders She took the lead on day one on her 8-year-old German chestnut gelding Dear Principal (by Dimension AT x Principal Boy) with 72,385% in the team test She maintained a comfortable lead to second placed Mia Sanna Walser on Coolman a 13-year old German bay gelding pony (by Constantin x Prince Thatch xx) in all three tests The bronze medal went to Liah Hefty on Suntory a Swedish-bred 11-year old bay pony (by Nabucco RP x Vermont RP) Tallulah Lynn Nater on Quando Unico FRHTallulah Lynn Nater and the only 8-year-old black Hanovarian stallion Quando Unico FRH (by Quantensprung x Fidertanz) took the gold medal in the junior division by also winning all three classes in a field of 7 riders She nailed the freestyle with the highest score of the championships Quando seemed to be in a league of his own with scores of 73,513% The gold medal was never in any danger although Robynne Graf’s freestyle on Domino a 12-year-old Hanovarian chestnut gelding (by Don Frederico x Weltmeyer) earned her a high score of 74,075% which meant silver in front of Layla Schmid on 11-year-old Freek D’Arx an Olderburger chestnut gelding (by Floriscount  x Don Federico) Young rider Milena Sulzer defended her title from last year and won the gold medal on 11-year-old Fantasimo a bay Westfalian gelding by Fiorano x Fidermark She took a comfortable lead in the team test with a score of 70,947% and also won her second class but bronze medallist won the freestyle with 72,325% on her 11-year-old Danzador a bay Hanovarian gelding by Diamond Hit x Lauries Crusador xx It was very tight between silver and bronze but silver went to Meilin Ngovan on 12-year-old Dreamdancer III an Oldenburger chestnut gelding by Desparado x Quaterback In the senior division with 12 entered pairs gold went to Carla Aeberhard on 14-year-old Swiss bred Delioh von Buchmatt (by Danone x Wolkenstein) after a brilliant kür on Sunday which earned her 75,525% and gave her the title of Swiss Dressage Champion 2022 Carla Aeberhard on Delioh von BuchmattIt was a tough battle beginning with the Grand Prix  on Saturday which silver medalist Delia Eggenberger won with 72,02% aboard the 12-year-old German gelding Fairtrade (by Fiderstep x  Santino) but Estelle Wettstein placed herself between the two with 71,98% on the 12-year-old Oldenburger Quarterboy (by Quaterback x Rubinstein Noir) Wettstein brought two horses to Roggwil and in the end it was her number one in the barn the sun finally came out for the decisive freestyle on Sunday afternoon Carla Aeberhard was rewarded for her risk-taking freestyle with the highest technical scores of the day Eggenberger captured silver with a 73.100% earning freestyle Bronze went to Estelle Wettstein on Great Escape Camelot an 11-year-old KWPN bay gelding (by Johnson x Turbo Magic) with 69,58% and 72,90% I knew it already when I took him out of the stable," said a thrilled Carla Aeberhard "Plan A was to ride the tempis on a circle I could not be happier with him." The silver medal  winner Delia Eggenberger was thrilled with her second place so we lost valuable points in both the piaffe and the extended walk," said Delia Stalls for Rent at Durondeau Dressage in Peer, Belgium Exceptionally Well Located Equestrian Facility in Wellington, Florida Well-built Equestrian Estate With Multiple Business Opportunities in Sweden Stable Units for Rent at Lotje Schoots' Equestrian Center in Houten (NED) For Rent: Several Apartments and Stable Wing at High-End Equestrian Facility Stable Wing Available at Reiterhof Wensing on Dutch/German border Real Estate: Well-Appointed Country House with Extensive Equestrian Facility in the U.K. Rémi Blot On his website After leading the ABA with an average of 16.4 rebounds per game for the Spurs in 1974-75, Nater was acquired by the Nets in a trade for Larry Kenon in June 1975 He spoke highly of his time with the Nets, however, and the joy of getting to play even a half a season with Julius Erving ","https://fansided.com/",{"alt":"7f","src":"7g","url":"7h"},{"type":"7e","value":"7i"},"link","Minute Media","https://www.minutemedia.com/",{"text":"7l","url":"7m"},{"type":"7k","value":"7n"},"All Rights Reserved One of the game’s best rebounders still hopes for a call to the Basketball Hall of Fame.",{"html":"3pq"},{"type":"3pp","value":"3pr"},"For players from the 1970s and 1980s who worried the game had forgotten their achievements And there was one old tool that helped Nater a lot, the classic McCall’s Rebounder, which is still around today. The adjustable height of the machine goes up to 12 feet, with a ball placed in a rack to be pulled down, improving a players timing, balance, grip strength and perception. He said some of his passion for rebounding was instilled in him from his collegiate coaches, Don Johnson and John Wooden. Wooden, Nater said, had three rules for rebounding. In Nater’s era, the pace was faster and teams looked to get out in transition much more than they do in today’s game. Nater says the cumulative effect of running on a team can be big in wearing an opponent down. Nater now works as a sporting goods buyer for Costco Corporation in the Seattle area after a nine-year stint as a coach at San Diego Christian College (then Christian Heritage College), where he built the program from the ground up in 1985 and remained until 1994, winning a National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association championship in the process. He also has written six books on basketball, two in conjunction with Wooden and one with Pete Newell, a Hall of Fame coach known for his expertise working with big men. Nater would like to think what he’s done since leaving the game as a player should be considered as well. As for what it would mean to him, Nater said the benefits would be huge … and tangible. But he has another reason that is closer to home. Swen Nater played during the greatest era for big men the NBA has seen and more than held his own, leading the NBA in rebounding and earning a reputation for being tireless on the backboards. Top 25 individual games in Nets history. dark. Next Considering the unique path he took to get there and all he’s done to promote the game since his playing days ended, a Hall of Fame berth would be a fitting reward for one of the most unexpected lifetimes in basketball we may ever see. Gabrielle Nater-Bass was recognised by Global Arbitration Review as one of its magazine’s ‘all female top 30’ women in arbitration and received the Client Choice Awards 2020 and 2021 in the category Arbitration & ADR (Switzerland). She publishes regularly in the field of international commercial arbitration. Unlock unlimited access to all Global Arbitration Review content Candidates can begin filing at 8 a.m. Monday (May 5) for more than 3,200 seats on city councils, county commissions, school boards, and special districts. No fish or people were harmed in the April 22 fire. The prosecutor reported that Chase Jones was traveling at 112 mph when he crashed into the victims. Volume 7 - 2013 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00690 Often assumed to be epiphenomena of a cell’s activity extracellular currents and resulting potential changes are increasingly recognized to influence the function of other cells in the vicinity Experimental evidence shows that even small electric fields can modulate spike timing in neurons when neurons are brought close together experimentally or in pathological conditions activity in one neuron can excite its neighbors may depend on more specialized coupling among cells Recent studies in the Drosophila olfactory system have shown that excitation of a sensory neuron can inhibit its neighbor and it was speculated that this interaction was ephaptic Here we give an overview of ephaptic interactions that effect changes in spike timing excitation or inhibition in diverse systems with potential relevance to human neuroscience We examine the mechanism of the inhibitory interaction in the Drosophila system and that of the well-studied ephaptic inhibition of the Mauthner cell in more detail We note that both current towards and current away from the local extracellular environment of a neuron can inhibit it but the mechanism depends on the specific architecture of each system suggesting that processing of olfactory information may already begin among neurons within the sensory organs Blocking synaptic transmission by several experimental means did not remove the inhibition which together with other considerations led the authors to hypothesize that an ephaptic mechanism underlies the interaction Here we present a brief overview of ephaptic interactions in diverse systems and then focus on inhibitory ephaptic mechanisms in the Mauthner cell system and in the Drosophila olfactory system The transmembrane potential (Vm) of a cell is the difference between the electrical potential inside the cell (Vi) and the potential externally (Ve) which are both measured against the same (distant) reference point The resting Vm in many neurons is approximately −70 mV While Ve is often assumed to be constant and assigned a value of 0 V by convention current flow to or from the local extracellular environment near the cell can change local Ve and thereby Vm The direction of electric current is defined arbitrarily as if only positive charges are moving so in the case of movement of anions the current is opposite in direction to the actual anionic flow Current flow to the local extracellular environment may hyperpolarize the membrane by making Ve more positive while current flow away may reduce the absolute potential difference between Vi and Ve Current flow is the result of an electric field which is defined as the force per unit positive charge acting on a charged particle and is expressed in newtons per coulomb or volts per meter (N/C = V/m) A field can act to drive current in the extracellular space and also across the membrane and intracellularly The pinceau may therefore mediate ephaptic modulation by basket cells of Purkinje activity in a similar way as the well-studied axon cap that holds the terminals of interneurons around the initial segment of the Mauthner cell reminiscent of the apical environment of hair cells in the inner ear while their somata are surrounded by fluid resembling other extracellular fluids that are low in [K+] and high in [Na+] The external potential Ve around the dendrites is approximately 30–35 mV higher than the Ve of the soma This external potential around the dendrites decreases during an odor stimulus because channel opening allows current to flow from the lymph compartment into the dendrites The current from the lymph into the dendrite is then conducted proximally and depolarizes the soma’s membrane to generate action potentials the rate at which the neuron generates action potentials is determined by the size of the current coming from the dendritic compartment into the soma region The size of the inward dendritic current depends on the number of open channels A transient decrease in Ve caused by an odor stimulus for a neighboring neuron will reduce the current through each open channel and also the dendritic current into the soma region This decrease in the depolarizing current will then slow the generation of action potentials by the neuron A straightforward test for this mechanism could be achieved by connecting two sensilla with a wire In this configuration we would predict that the sustained response of a neuron in one sensillum could be inhibited by excitation of a neuron in the connected sensillum Inhibition in this configuration would show that the interaction can be explained by current flow through the extracellular space the ephaptic interaction is dependent on compartmentalization of the extracellular space so that local current can significantly change Ve The function of the inhibition of a sustained response of one neuron in a Drosophila sensillum by transient activation of another neuron may be to increase salience of the odor transient (Su et al., 2012) Compartmentalization of groups of sensory cells as occurs in the Drosophila olfactory sensillum is found in a number of other systems including the mammalian taste bud While the focus of much research has been on stimulus-response characteristics of individual sensory cells it is not yet understood how the cells in a group modulate each other’s output The inhibitory interaction found in Drosophila suggests initial processing of information starts at the periphery and that ephaptic interactions may play an important role It is becoming increasingly clear that ephaptic interactions make an essential contribution to information processing in the nervous system The rapid kinetics by which cell function can be modulated through electric fields suggest ephaptic interactions may act especially in a short time domain to complement slower intercellular communication through chemical synapses Elucidating the mechanisms that operate in small circuits such as the Mauthner cell system and the Drosophila olfactory sensillum will be essential to understand processing in more complex networks The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest Acid sensing by the Drosophila olfactory system Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Effects evoked in an axon by activity in a contiguous one Variant ionotropic glutamate receptors as chemosensory receptors in Drosophila Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Intercellular interactions in the mammalian olfactory nerve Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Ephaptic interactions in the mammalian olfactory system Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text The origin of extracellular fields and currents—EEG Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Spatiotemporal firing patterns in the cerebellum Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Integrating the molecular and cellular basis of odor coding in the Drosophila antenna Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Electrical field effects: their relevance in central neural networks Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text Two inhibitory mechanisms in the Mauthner neurons of goldfish Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text Coexpression of two functional odor receptors in one neuron Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Lack of molecular-anatomical evidence for GABAergic influence on axon initial segment of cerebellar Purkinje cells by the pinceau formation Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Nonsynaptic modulation of neuronal activity in the brain: electric currents and extracellular ions Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text “Insect olfactory sensilla: structural chemical and electrical aspects of the functional organisation,” in Receptors for Transmitters Connexin hemichannel mediated ephaptic inhibition in the retina Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Electrical inhibition of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum of the rat Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text The Mauthner cell half a century later: a neurobiological model for decision-making Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text On the cellular and network bases of epileptic seizures Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Mechanisms of pain and itch caused by herpes zoster (shingles) Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Spike timing amplifies the effect of electric fields on neurons: implications for endogenous field effects Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Ephaptic transmission in squid giant axons Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text Low-intensity electrical stimulation affects network dynamics by modulating population rate and spike timing Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Human memory strength is predicted by theta-frequency phase-locking of single neurons Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Atlas of olfactory organs of Drosophila melanogaster innervation and distribution of olfactory sensilla CrossRef Full Text Internal organization and cellular architecture of olfactory sensilla Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text A quantitative electron microscopic study of the Purkinje cell axon initial segment Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text A conserved dedicated olfactory circuit for detecting harmful microbes in Drosophila Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Non-synaptic inhibition between grouped neurons in an olfactory circuit Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Valls-Solé “Facial nerve palsy and hemifacial spasm,” in Handbook of Clinical Neurology Van der Goes van Naters Receptors and neurons for fly odors in Drosophila Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text Mechanisms of electrical coupling between pyramidal cells Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text Field effects in the CNS play functional roles Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text A role of electrical inhibition in sensorimotor integration Pubmed Abstract | Pubmed Full Text | CrossRef Full Text CrossRef Full Text Citation: Van der Goes van Naters W (2013) Inhibition among olfactory receptor neurons Received: 31 May 2013; Paper pending published: 13 July 2013; Accepted: 30 September 2013; Published online: 23 October 2013 Copyright © 2013 Van der Goes van Naters. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Wynand Van der Goes van Naters, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, CF10 3AX Cardiff, UK e-mail:dmFuZGVyZ29lc3Zhbm5hdGVyc3dtQGNhcmRpZmYuYWMudWs= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish Please sign in with your Snow-Forecast account details below Create a free account to receive instant Snow-Alerts and save your favourite resorts on your personal MySnow page Belalp - Blatten - Naters Weather (Next 3 days): The snow forecast for Belalp - Blatten - Naters is: Mild at first with light rain (total 2.0mm) on Tue afternoon followed by colder weather and light fall of snow Freeze-thaw conditions (max 2°C on Tue morning Belalp - Blatten - Naters Weather (Days 4-6): A dusting of snow giving way to moderate rain (total 11.0mm) heaviest on Sat afternoon Freeze-thaw conditions (max 6°C on Sun afternoon Latest snow reports near Belalp - Blatten - Naters: Shower light rain shower reported from Meiringen Airport at 577 metres elevation 5 kms SSE of Lungern/Schoenbueel but it is forecast cold enough for snow at the ski area from Lungern/Schoenbueel A dusting of snow giving way to moderate rain (total 11.0mm) heaviest on Sat afternoon Several North American ski areas that are still open plan to celebrate the unofficial Star Wars Day tomorrow The above table gives the weather forecast for Belalp - Blatten - Naters at the specific elevation of 2216 m. Our sophisticated weather models allow us to provide snow forecasts for the top, middle and bottom ski stations of Belalp - Blatten - Naters. To access the weather forecasts for the other elevations, use the tab navigation above the table. For a wider view of the weather, check out the Weather Map of Switzerland Click here to read further information on freezing levels and how we forecast our temperatures Overall 3.8 Based on 5 votes and 5 reviews and unspoiled holiday experience in Blatten now with good connection to the Belalp and Chiematte areas at the bottom of the main pisted area We went as a family between Xmas and New Year 2021 and it is a lovely resort for a young family in ski school though as a largely Swiss-German local area it does require a bit of explanation for an only English (or other non-German) speaking kid And they will likely be a bit isolated from the rest of the group More advanced skiers will likely find the resort too small for a whole week during our stay there was only one red and one blue run pisted from each of the three chairlifts a total of 6 proper runs in the whole resort Since the tows to the black/off-piste areas at the top were not open for the entire week and the rest of the easy-angled off-piste is quite easy to get stuck in or have an incident with the many rocks it was covered in an inch-thick layer of icy crud all week anyway and won't go back for a week again since "done that" but for family/novice purposes it's very nice Overall: 3.8 Based on 5 votes and 5 reviews and won't go back for a week again since "done that" but for family/novice purposes it's very nice Read 4 more reviews of Belalp - Blatten - Naters or submit your own View detailed snow forecast for Belalp - Blatten - Naters at:snow-forecast.com Sign In Subscribe Now  Hansons Arbor Funeral & Cremation Centre Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is rejecting the idea that his party played a role in granting $40 million in regulatory relief to Bell Media Conservative and NDP MPs backed a 2022 amendment to the Online Streaming Act that allowed Canada’s private broadcasters to save about $120 million a year in regulatory fees Bell’s share of those savings was $40 million — the precise total of annual operating losses the broadcaster’s parent cited when it slashed 4,800 jobs last week But Poilievre is now blaming Justin Trudeau for those cuts and has called on the prime minister to claw back some of his government’s federal grants to media companies the Conservative leader would only say that providing tax dollars to media outlets fuels biased “So the supposed justification for giving Bell all this money was that it was going to save media jobs they all got fired,” Poilievre said Monday “So I guess that wasn’t the real reason for giving tax dollars to the media The real reason was for him to buy support from the media passed with the support of New Democrat and Bloc Québécois MPs on the House of Commons heritage committee without debate The motion sought to amend the Liberals’ update to broadcasting law so that it would abolish certain licensing fees Liberal MPs on the committee voted against Nater’s motion but the amendment was nonetheless written into the bill The act ultimately came into effect last April In a late-day statement to The Canadian Press Conservative spokesman Sebastian Skamski called the amendment a “common sense proposal” to level the playing field between traditional broadcasters and online streaming platforms Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government have handed out at least half a billion taxpayer dollars to Bell over the last eight years,” Skamski said “This money was supposed to support Canadian jobs and Canadian media and yet the Liberals have squandered hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars only to see the opposite results.” When asked to explain why New Democrat MPs voted with the Conservatives NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh would only say that his party is opposed to government largesse for big corporations “I can tell you we have long said that any money that goes to any corporation should come with strong strings attached,” Singh said “We have said that again and again and again.” Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment she has pushed back on social media against the claims from Poilievre and Singh that the Liberals are to blame She said it was the Tories who brought in the amendment to eliminate those fees for Bell This one is on you,” St-Onge posted on X on Friday in response to Poilievre’s attack your policies are bad for workers and for journalism.” saying “hopefully you’ll now understand that the Conservatives’ ideas are never to the advantage of workers and even less for journalism.” St-Onge decried the company for breaking its promise to invest in news after it was granted the annual regulatory relief Bell Media is also expected to receive money because of the Online News Act with private broadcasters to receive $30 million through a side deal the government struck with Google It agreed to pay news outlets $100 million a year to avoid being regulated under the new law which requires tech giants to compensate news producers for content that is shared on their platforms The company had blamed its cuts on the federal government saying Ottawa took too long to provide relief for media companies It also blamed the Canadian Radio-television Commission saying the regulator is too slow to react to a “crisis that is immediate.” The CRTC is expected to release final regulations aimed at helping the news industry in the coming months “we need everybody to hold strong.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb A Canadian man arrested on vacation has been proven innocent Melissa Nakhavoly with why he is still being held in the Dominican Republic Warmer temperatures but showers are expected on-and-off for the next few days Meteorologist Natasha Ramsahai has your seven-day forecast Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls on Prime Minister Mark Carney to prioritize a list of projects including the proposed Highway 401 tunnel a mentally ill man who was killed in an Ontario prison is calling out the provincial government over the lack of correctional reform listen to NewsRadio Toronto live anytime and get up-to-the-minute breaking-news alerts weather and video from CityNews Toronto anywhere you are – across all Android and iOS devices The Official Opposition needs to work towards becoming Canada’s “party of answers” as its members begin searching for a new leader “We need to be a party of solutions,” Nater said Friday a couple of days after a majority of his Tory colleagues voted to oust Erin O’Toole from the party’s top job “I think that’s where we really need to go as a party to move beyond and be the party of answers rather than simply being the party of opposition.” We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentThe party’s 119 members of Parliament met Wednesday via video conference to cast secret ballots after about one-third of them signed a notice that triggered a leadership review Ontario MP and national caucus chair Scott Reid said in a statement that 73 Conservative MPs voted to replace O’Toole “It’s always disappointing when there’s a change in leadership but he was among the MPs O’Toole appointed to his shadow cabinet last year “I’ll say I’ve always been a strong supporter of Erin O’Toole,” he said O’Toole served as a cabinet minister for veterans affairs in former prime minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government before it fell to the Liberals in 2015 O’Toole became the party’s leader in August 2020 by positioning himself as the “true blue” candidate over former cabinet minister Peter MacKay O’Toole told party members changes were needed if Conservatives hoped to make gains in vote-rich regions like the Greater Toronto Area In an attempt to modernize the party and differentiate himself from predecessor Andrew Scheer — whose socially conservative views dogged him in the 2019 campaign — O’Toole tried to attract more voters by pulling the party towards the centre He promoted his support of access to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights and reversed course on a promise during last year’s election to repeal a ban on some military-style firearms Some political pundits have suggested O’Toole’s moderate stance on those issues played a major role in Wednesday’s vote but Nater pointed instead to September’s election results “I think that’s where a lot of unhappiness stems from,” he said “We made some gains in the Atlantic provinces We picked up some seats we haven’t held for a generation but we didn’t win overall and I think there was a great deal of disappointment.” it’s been clear recently that O’Toole struggled to bring his caucus together on issues like vaccine mandates with many of his MPs feeling the party needed to take a tougher stand against such policies He also faced pushback from members of the party’s social conservative wing for fast-tracking a government bill to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ Canadians Nater said resolving those internal divides is “going to be a challenge,” but he hopes some of O’Toole’s ideas aren’t lost “I think where we need to go (moving) forward is really focusing on the issues that matter to Canadians across the country a broad-based message that applies to different regions of the country that of a modern Conservative party ready to address the issues of 2022,” Nater said “Whoever our new leader is when that times comes their first priority is going to be focusing on the issues that unite us as a party and can unite the country.” This is the third time the Conservatives have been in need of a leader since Harper stepped down seven years ago Given the minority status of the current government meaning an election could happen at any time Nater said he expects the process to play out “sooner rather than later.” “I’d like to see that happen relatively quickly,” he said “I would hope that by the fall at the very latest that process does conclude and we have a permanent leader in place.” This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Perth–Wellington MP John Nater described 2023 as “an interesting year We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Play VideoArticle contentWhile the country has emerged from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted all levels of government seem to be playing catchup while trying to provide communities with a path back to “normal.” Seen through this lens, Nater shared some of his thoughts about the past year, as well as his goals for the coming 12 months. For Nater, one of the most notable accomplishments of 2023 was his advocacy for Bill S-227, which established a national Food Day in Canada. This recognition, he said, would give the nation’s agricultural sector, including farms and agri-businesses in Perth–Wellington. Despite Parliament’s support, the process to achieve this recognition was not an easy one, Nater said. “During the BSE crisis for mad cow disease, Anita Stewart from Wellington County started the process of designating the first weekend in August as Food Day in Canada as a way to promote local beef,” said Nater. “Over the last 20 years, this has expanded to include all forms of food in Canada, and our office did a lot of work in the House of Commons to designate this day. “I’m happy to say that now that the first Saturday in August will be Food Day in Canada, where we can celebrate all parts of our great bounty here in Canada.” The agricultural sector in Perth–Wellington comprises local farmers who often produce products that exceed others in Ontario, Nater said. “We’re number one for dairy in the country, number one for chicken in the country, and top four and five for beef and pork,” Nater said. “We also have amazing farmland. So, when you’re talking about agriculture in Perth and Wellington counties, our farmers are number one.” Sustainability is also top of mind for the MP, he said. Nater acknowledged the work done by local farmers to fight climate change, even though, at a federal level, he said farmers are not getting the credit they deserve. “(Farmers) have come up with sustainability plans, looking forward to how they make their industry more efficient, more sustainable, but really looking at it from a grassroots standpoint,” said Nater. “I sometimes think when the (federal) government tries to get involved, it becomes a top-down approach, but I would suggest shifting the focus on what’s happening on the ground. “There is not enough recognition or benefit that’s given to the farmers for their involvement in environmental stewardship.” Nater also highlighted affordable housing as a critical issue in both Perth-Wellington and across the country. Nater said he’s dissatisfied with the federal government’s funding approach, which seems to leave small and rural communities wanting. “I’m really disappointed with some of the current government’s approaches to what I consider small, rural communities when it comes to infrastructure funding,” he said. “We have programs that would benefit us locally, but we seem to get overlooked because of how funding is distributed.” Nater noted that larger regions are able to put more time into grant applications and generally receive more funding, which he believes is an unfair method of distribution. He said he consistently advocates for fair funding and distribution of grants to small and rural communities like those in Perth–Wellington. One program Nater said is effective at providing appropriate support is the Canada Community-Building Fund, a permanent, stable source of infrastructure funding that is allocated on a per-capita basis. “This way, you can get the money out the door and into the hands of the municipalities, where they have the flexibility to allocate it where they see fit,” he said. Immigration, Nater said, was another critical issue during the past 12 months. The Perth–Wellington MP noted there’s currently a backlog of 2.4-million people, many of whom have backgrounds in health care, childcare, skilled trades and other in-demand industries. On a federal level, the government is working to fast-track qualified workers who are immigrating to Canada to get them into the workforce – and their professions – faster, Nater said. “One of the things we’ve proposed is a blue seal program so that, if you’re (in Canada), and if you have the qualifications, there’ll be a standardized test across the country. If you pass, you can work in your profession right away,” he said. Touching on the rising rates of post-pandemic mental-health concerns across the country, Nater said programs, such as the 9-8-8 Suicide Prevention Program, are essential and embraced by all levels of government, but are taking too long to be implemented. “Although this program is essential and a great idea, it took over three years to be implemented across the country,” he said. “We’re dealing with a really serious situation with regard to mental health. We see it in agriculture, health care and all sectors. I don’t want to be too critical of the government, but I am concerned with how long programs take to implement.” Although dissatisfied with the sluggishness of mental-health program funding at the federal level, Nater did say there is more recognition of mental-health concerns in specific sectors, such as agriculture. “They have now dedicated resources for agriculture folks working in the industry because that’s one area where people tend to hold everything in and plow their way through, rather than seeking support,” the MP said. Noting that COVID-19 is still affecting small businesses, Nater said he has grave concerns about the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loans. Provided interest-free during the worst of the pandemic, these loans were intended to help businesses pay for expenses while struggling through the pandemic. “(Business owners) are starting to get back on their feet, but they’re not there yet,” he said, “It doesn’t look like the government’s going to offer additional flexibility with the CEBA loans, and a lot of folks are in that crunch situation. It’s kind of this perfect storm of negative consequences that are happening right now, literally as we speak, and coming into the new year.” Nater said he’s advocating for small business owners with the minister of finance and hopes to find a way to offer some flexibility in loan repayment and schedules that can protect small business owners. “We’ve seen far too many local businesses that have already closed their doors, especially in the food-service sector, so anything we do to provide some flexibility is needed. We are really pushing for this in January,” he said. 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