Pal the German Shepherd was named honorary mayor of NIagara Falls on Friday. (TikTok/@buddyandmikespal)
Niagara Falls’ new mayor may give you paws.
Pal the German Sheppard was named honorary mayor of the Ontario city at a ceremony on Friday.
“I made him mayor. I deputized him…he was in my office -- I say my office, but it’s his now,” actual Mayor Jim Diodati told CTV News Toronto on Friday.
The one-and-a-half-year-old dog has become well known in the Niagara Region and beyond, with nearly 700,000 followers across his social media platforms operated by his owner, Mike Lalicich.
Lalicichis using his dog’s celebrity status to support a local fundraising effort, which hopes to purchase a $25,000 portable ultrasound machine for the Niagara Falls Kidney Clinic, and had Pal formally deputized for the weekend to create some buzz for the cause.
“We just thought this would be a great way to get it out there. We’ve got an objective, we want to raise that money and this is our way of helping,” Lalicichtold CTV News Toronto.
Pal the German Shepherd is sworn in as honorary mayor of NIagara Falls on Friday by Mayor Jim Diodati. (The City of Niagara Falls)
Pal’s paw prints were etched into the Niagara Falls guestbook -- which also house the signatures of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, and Princess Anne -- before he dawned the mayoral chain of office.
Lalicich said that Pal was a good boy for the Friday ceremony, but Diodati added that the transition of power come with an “unintended outcome.”
“Pal has ordered that we're going to build a couple more dog parks, he’s insisted that we add in a bunch of fire hydrants, and apparently he’s banning cats for the weekend so I’m not sure what that’s all about,” Diodati joked.
Niagara Falls residents who may have a bone to pick with the actual mayor will have to wait until Monday morning do so, when Pal steps down as top dog.
The Canadian economy grew faster than expected in the first three months of the year and likely expanded again in April, fuelling speculation that the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates again.
A former staffer who accused Joe Biden of sexual assault has defected to Moscow and spoken to Russian state media in a news conference that lasted several hours.
Wildfires in Nova Scotia have burned thousands of hectares across the province, forcing many to flee their homes. Halifax-area residents tell CTV News what it was like for them when they had to evacuate.
As text-generative artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT change the tide of web surfing, one Toronto blogger warns of a “seismic shift” in search engine optimization.
Imagine being struck with a sudden onset of confusion, struggling to think of words or to recognize your surroundings — and even ending up in the emergency department because of it. No, this isn’t a description of dementia, but of a common complication that can arise from serious liver disease.
He's heir to the throne in one of the oldest monarchies in the Middle East and a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. She's a Saudi architect with an aristocratic pedigree of her own.
Last year, Quebec’s Bill 96 became law, which brought sweeping changes to the Charter of the French language. Sections of the new law will come into effect on June 1, the one-year anniversary of the bill receiving royal assent.
High heat is pushing into parts of Quebec this week, and many communities could see record-breaking temperatures this week. Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued special weather statements, advising people of the above-average temperatures.
A new team working out of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada (SHC-Canada) wants to get young people like Horn, who injured themselves, back on their feet and running as fast and efficiently as possible.
People who live on Ralgreen Crescent in Kitchener say it could have been a lot worse after a car careened off the road and smashed through their backyards on Tuesday afternoon.
Forest fires in northern Ontario are on the rise, with the largest in the region shutting down a critical highway for the people of Hornepayne for a bit and bringing the community to the brink of evacuation.
The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) is out with its annual 'Worst Roads' lists and the top five in northern Ontario are located in Timmins, Greater Sudbury and North Bay.
Canadian Heritage unveiled the programming for July 1 celebrations, inviting Canadians to come to the capital region to "join the biggest party in the country!"
Windsor police call volumes have increased, with mental health and addition being one of the leading requests for service, according to their annual report.
Huntsville OPP has charged a third girl in connection to an alleged assault captured on video at a local high school and shared on social media earlier this month.
May 31, 1985, started like any other day in Barrie, but all that changed later that afternoon when the sky changed colour, suddenly and without warning, plunging the city into chaos.
Manitoba RCMP have arrested a priest from a First Nation community who is accused of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl, and believe there may be more victims.
Frontline health-care workers at Surrey Memorial Hospital say the emergency room should be shut down to new patients if staff shortages continue to create "perilous" conditions for people in need of urgent care.
Wildfires in Nova Scotia have burned thousands of hectares across the province, forcing many to flee their homes. Halifax-area residents tell CTV News what it was like for them when they had to evacuate.
A "critical" shortage of teachers in B.C. is leading to increased workloads, mounting stress and an inability to meet students' needs, according to a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by the union.
The Canadian economy grew faster than expected in the first three months of the year and likely expanded again in April, fuelling speculation that the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates again.
Pal the German Shepherd was named honorary mayor of NIagara Falls on Friday. (TikTok/@buddyandmikespal)
Pal the German Shepherd is sworn in as honorary mayor of NIagara Falls on Friday by Mayor Jim Diodati. (The City of Niagara Falls)
