PETER CONRADI/Bullet News
Nik Wallenda says – often – it’s his lifelong dream to string a tightrope across the Niagara Gorge and walk over the Horseshoe Falls. The Niagara Parks Commission says – often – no stunting on its property.
So it will be fascinating to see how this plays out today when these ideologies clash for the second time in just a few months. It was only last fall when commissioners first rejected Wallenda’s proposal. Now here they are giving it a second look. And not out of the goodness of their hearts. This is back on the table because Ontario Tourism Minister Michael Chan ordered it.
The spectre of Chan in the background, with Premier Dalton McGuinty hiding not too subtly in the bushes, creates a unique situation for the Commission, which is supposed to be arms length from the provincial government in its stewardship of the lands around the falls and Niagara Parkway.
Chan and McGuinty clearly have long arms. They want this to happen. That’s a given. They’ve said as much. But they also don’t want to appear to be interfering in the process – not with too much of a heavy hand, at any rate. There’s little doubt their feelings are known to all involved.
Chan, for the record, has said he doesn’t have the authority to tell the Parks Commission what to do, which is nonsense. Maybe he doesn’t sit at the boardroom table and issue commands. He does have the authority to fire commissioners, though, which he has done. His ministry has also reversed Commission decisions in the past. The Maid of the Mist debacle jumps immediately to mind. So don’t let anyone tell you there’s no political interference at work here.
Nevertheless, NPC Chairwoman Janice Thomson insists she’s never felt pressure from Queen’s Park to act one way or the other with Wallenda. She said she takes Chan at his word when he said he won’t overturn a Commission decision.
Thomson has been a vocal and consistent opponent to Wallenda’s idea. She says it’s not personal. It’s about safety – his safety and that of the Parks security personnel and the public. Beyond that, she maintains Wallenda’s request does not line up with the NPC strategic initiatives of preserving, enhancing and showcasing the beauty of the land, the Niagara River and the falls.
The NPC said Wallenda’s performance “would undermine these objectives, set a precedent for other similar requests and, potentially, encourage other individuals to attempt unsanctioned acts which could put themselves and the lives of others at risk. These types of activities are risky and can result in tragic consequences for performers, spectators and emergency personnel.”
On the other side of the debate, you have Wallenda promising sensitivity to environmental concerns. He says no one will ever know he was there after he’s packed up and gone. Safety will not be a local issue; Wallenda says he’s got everything covered, including divers and a helicopter in the case of tragedy.
Furthermore, he guarantees attention and money for the Parks Commission and the City of Niagara Falls. He’s already got a deal with the Discovery Channel, is certain his feat will be a global news item, says he’s committed to returning to Niagara Falls to promote the achievement, and even says he’s looking at establishing a Nik Wallenda theatre locally to showcase aerial entertainment. He wants to live here for half the year.
All of this can translate into money. Money from full restaurants and hotel rooms and souvenir shops and, hopefully, return visits. Local politicians love the sound of all this. That’s why you have folks like Mayor Jim Diodati and MPP Kim Craitor on board. They’re not just on board. They’re driving the ship.
Niagara Falls council is behind Wallenda, along with Niagara Falls Tourism and pretty much all the hotel owners. Senators from the United States are anxious to see it happen. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed special permission for Wallenda to be exempt from state anti-stunting laws.
You think these people have talked to McGuinty? Of course they have. You think that doesn’t weigh on the Parks commissioners? They’d have to be made of stone to ignore it.
When the commissioners first made their decision on Wallenda the voting was done in secret – from the public and from each other. Preferences of commissioners were known only by Thomson, who spoke to each of them individually.
We’re told the discussion will be held in open session today. Questions might actually be asked of Wallenda, who will be in the gallery at Whirlpool Golf Course with an entourage that will include his father, manager and technical advisor. Last time Wallenda was in front of the NPC he made an 11-minute presentation. No one said a word when he was done. It was the strangest thing – a multi-million-dollar proposal and not one question.
Thomson says unless something unexpected takes place, a decision should be delivered today. It’s not entirely clear whether that vote will take place out in the open, like at a municipal council meeting. It should be done that way. The Parks Commission still ducks behind closed doors too easily and without explanation. That has to stop. It’s time for Niagara Parks commissioners to stand up and be counted. And be accountable.
2 Comments on "COLUMN: Wallenda Part 2 – Time for Niagara Parks commissioners to be accountable"
I hope the Commission holds to the English principle of due process and equal treatment under the law and rejects Wallenda’s request and doesn’t slip into the Orwellian “Animal Farm” mentality of “On Animal Farm all the animals are equal except some animals are more equal then others” Why does Canada have to facilitate a media event that will net Wallenda,the media and advertising inductry multi millions from selling this event world wide on television, DVDs, documentary. The ordinary citizens of Canada and the US will not benefit at all and will in the long run benefit from strict enforment of no stunting and no pollution laws. From past laxity the fish in the Great Lakes can’t be eaten still. The reason the walk needs Canada is that a strictly US walk isn’t as marketable. Preserving the natural beauty of the Falls and the Gorge and Ontario is primary any alteration of this principle is slipping backwards. The average citizen gets worse then nothing from this and the millionaires get even more millions.
It’s interesting that New York is pushing this so hard. Of course we know that media and advertising is big business in New York City. New York the highest taxed state in the nation and doesn’t have money to fix up the State park on the US side (their proposing yet another tax on grocery bags), to build a bridge in the NYC area they are talking about using the State employees pension fund, they can’t build more customs booths to faciliate crossings (which Canada already has) by Canadians that spend millions, the can’t complete the 219 and make the people from Canada and bordering states that spend millions at Holiday Valley and have made it one of the best resorts in the East drive on out of date 2 lane, Buffalo has slipped from the richest city in the US to one that has the highest poverty rate. All this is ho hum but we can pass special legislation to benefit Wallenda and the NYC media/advertising. This defines the term SPECIAL INTEREST legislation. A’int government controlled capitialism great!!!! And for a very few it is!!!!