The Rich Legacy of Editorial Cartooning in Fort Erie and Niagara

By Arden Phair, FEO, February 20, 2025, VOL. 6 ISSUE 12

PART 1 OF 2

The 1970s through the 1990s were a special period in the history of editorial cartooning in Niagara.

The weekly newspapers of Niagara’s smaller communities stepped up to provide print space on the editorial pages for a stream of budding community cartoonists.

The creators of these submissions were not paid well (when paid at all) but did it out of a love of illustration, observation, and visual communication.

A successful editorial cartoonist effectively communicates a message using very little (or no) text, all contained in a single-cell illustration. They must also develop fresh new ideas every day or every week, depending upon the newspaper. Despite the demands of this work, many individuals offered their services to Fort Erie and other communities in Niagara.

Today, many of these Niagara-based cartoons provide useful insight into the important issues of the day that affected the various communities.

The St. Catharines Standard was the only local newspaper employing a staff cartoonist. From 1936 until the position was discontinued in 1961, six different illustrators provided a steady stream of editorial cartoons: Josh Silburt, Rubin Kaell, Harold Marten, John R. Ednie, Charles H. Pratt, and Harry Harley.

Some of those who were the cartoonists for the weeklies in Niagara included:

• Grimsby Independent – Lyle Glover (1975-87)
• Lincoln Post-Express – Thomas Banwell (mid-1980s); Keith Nisbet (1993-96)
• Niagara Advance – John VanderPerk (1981-95)
• Port Colborne News – Ernie Alcott (1968-71); Felice Forte (1981-84); Joseph W. Quinn (1982-89)
• Port Colborne Leader – Aldo Parrotta (1996-97); Ron Fyke (1999-2006)
• Welland Tribune (daily paper) – Ernie Alcott (1980-82); James L. Charters (1984); George Doros (1991-2008)

This is not a complete list, but these are the primary cartoonists in those communities from the 1970s through the 1990s.

Some of the cartoonists’ work would be included in several publications of the Rannie Group, thereby expanding their readership audience.

In addition to the weekly papers in Fort Erie, Grimsby, Lincoln, and Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Rannie Group also included the Thorold News, West Lincoln Review, and various trade journals.

The Fort Erie Times-Review became part of the Rannie Group, and it made an important contribution to furthering local cartooning.

The paper’s other option would be to purchase cartoons that were available from a wide array of syndicated cartoonists.  This was often time done, sometimes simultaneously publishing the syndicated work on the same page as the piece from their local cartoonist.

The syndicated cartoons would be created by the best in the business and would focus on current issues, many with a national or international focus.

In addition to the obvious cost factor (weeklies seemed to always be struggling to balance the budget), a disadvantage of using the syndicated cartoonist’s work was the subject content; the cartoons did not reflect local community issues. Local content was always something critical to the success of any weekly newspaper.

This is where the publishers in Fort Erie and beyond were fortunate to have cartoonists ready to provide a distinctive local twist to the newspaper. Some of the Fort Erie cartoonists include:

• Fort Erie Times-Review – Ken Wallace (1982-87)
• Fort Erie Review Weekly – Steve Green (1994-95)
• Fort Erie Extra – J. DiLeo (1990-1993); J. Ryan (1989-1990); Glenn Scott (Jul-Sept 1990; Jan-Jun 1991)
•    Fort Erie Times-Review; Fort Erie Review Weekly Extra – Rev. Malcolm E. ‘Max’ MacQuarrie (1991-1992)

PART 2 of 2 (to be continued, next issue): The Fort Erie cartoonists and some of their cartoons will be featured in the next issue of the Fort Erie Observer.