The Niagara Falls, ON Council meets Tuesday night and is expected to demand the Niagara Falls, NY Water Board do something to stop overflows of sewage into the Niagara River that borders the United States and Canada.
Niagara Falls, ON Mayor Jim Diodati said his city is finishing up the third great tourism year in a row, welcoming millions of tourists from around the world.
He said many of the tourists do not know there are two cities carrying the name of the cataract and may not care. However, they do care about the images of sewage overflow showing up in the Niagara Gorge with an odor covering both sides of the border.
"Niagara Falls, USA, Niagara Falls, Canada - most people, as a matter of fact, don't even know there are two Niagara Falls," said Diodati. "The fact that they say Niagara Falls in the same sentence is definitely not a good thing. Niagara Falls and Nic Wallenda, that's great. Niagara Falls and Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa, that's a good thing. But definitely we don't want to have sewage in that same sentence."
Diodati said the topic of sewage overflows from across the river will be before his Niagara Falls, Ontario Council Tuesday.
"Wayne Gates, our member of Provincial Parliament, has requested to address the City Council and he told me one of the things he wants to talk about is the discharging into the Niagara River of sewage," said Diodati. "So he's brought it up already in Toronto, at Queens Park, at the Provincial Legislature, and he wants to address the City Council tomorrow as well. So it's definitely going to come up."
Gates has been very vocal in demanding the provincial government push New York State to do something about the sewage problem - something he can do as a member of the legislative minority in the provincial government. Diodati said an image of Niagara Falls as a gorgeous spectacle is an important asset that needs to be protected.
Provincial Parliament Member Wayne Gates has requested time on the Council agenda to talk about the problem, probably looking for help from the Ontario government to push New York State to start dealing with overflows from the sewer system run by the Niagara Falls, NY Water Board.
