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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.