Niagara

Julie Rekai Rickerd is a Toronto-based broadcaster and public-relations
consultant.

This book on the Niagara region of Ontario is a welcome addition to the
18-volume Canada series. The text is an intelligent amalgam of history
and information in capsule form: Niagara Falls “churns through massive
generators, producing enough electricity to light 24 million 100-watt
bulbs”; the Falls attracts 14 million visitors a year; the vineyards
in the area “grow more than 80% of Canada’s wine grapes”; “the
Court House in Niagara-on-the Lake was the Shaw Festival’s first
venue.” In the early 1820s, nearby St. Catharines received escaped
slaves “fleeing the United States across Lake Ontario. Many were
helped to freedom by Harriet Tubman, a local supporter of the
Underground Railroad.”

Fourteen photographers are credited with the first-rate stills. Of
particular note are Mike Grandmaison’s study of dew-covered blue
grapes on the vine, John P. Marechal’s northern cardinal in the
forested corridor of the Niagara Escarpment, Bernd Fuchs/First Light’s
vista of the Falls in winter, and Dawn Goss/First Light’s shot of farm
buildings. Grandmaison’s photo of Friendship Cove at Marineland brings
to mind an Alex Colville painting.

Niagara is a visually stimulating and informative record of one of
Canada’s most fascinating regions.