Niagara Falls names dog honorary mayor
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.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.