‘Culic’s Columns’ turns decade of Niagara history into book
June 19, 2026 at 4:42 AM
Columnist James Culic won’t let you forget how he deemed Point Abino to be “Niagara’s worst tourist attraction,” considering the public isn’t allowed anywhere near it.
And how could you forget when he raised the red flag on Marineland for animal cruelty, or his many other groundbreaking news columns that have cast a light on the good, the bad and the ugly happening in Fort Erie and beyond.
The 15-year veteran Fort Erie columnist is releasing volume one of ‘Culic’s Columns’ July 2 with a launch party at the Fort Erie Public Library Centennial branch.
The book collects more than a decade of local history presented straight from the columnists mouth, with unedited versions of stories that haven’t been archived or digitally accessible until now.
Credit: James Culic“I get asked a lot from people, ‘Hey, where can I go and read all your columns?’ And my answer is always the same, ‘You can’t.'”
Culic told Fort Erie Radio that multiple website rebuilds and the 2023 closure of the local newspaper, The Fort Erie Post, buried many of his more than 500 published columns. The book pulls his columns from 2013 to 2023 into one volume, the first of several he has planned if readers want more.
“At first, my plan was to make a book that had all of them, but in the process of putting it together, I quickly realized, ‘Oh no, I can’t put out a thousand-page book,'” said Culic.
Each column carries a new introduction explaining how it came together. Some reveal the arguments he had with his editor over what to cut or change before publication.
The book opens with the Marineland column that started his career by accident in 2011. A colleague missed work, and a managing editor needed 500 words to fill page seven within 10 minutes. Culic offered his take on Marineland, the piece took off, and a one-time favour turned into a full-time job.
“It was the very first column I ever published about Marineland, the one that kind of kickstarted the whole thing and kind of made me fall backwards into being a columnist, because it wasn’t ever supposed to be my job,” said Culic.
The second chapter, The Hits, reprints his 10 most-read columns by clicks.
Another full chapter covers his Point Abino Lighthouse columns, the work Fort Erie readers still ask about most. That writing won him his first Ontario Columnist of the Year award and forced a public fight over a taxpayer-owned landmark locked inside a private gated community.
Culic says the lighthouse columns pushed the situation into public view and eventually led to funding being withdrawn once readers grasped how strange the arrangement was. The Town of Fort Erie spent more than $1 million to restore a lighthouse the public cannot freely visit.
“I can’t think of a worse tourist attraction than one that tourists can’t go to,” said Culic.
He donated a copy to the Fort Erie Public Library, shelved under Fort Erie local history.
The book launch will be from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on July 2 at the Centennial branch, where Culic will be available to sign copies and speak with readers. It will also be available on Amazon for purchase.
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About The Author
Andrew Hawlitzky
Andrew is a Niagara community journalist who has covered everything from local politics to annual festivals and breaking news. He works to make local news a platform where community voices lead the conversation. "If you don't like the news, go out and make some!"
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