[All] Fw: Standing up to sprawl with land defenders from the HanlonCreek

[Randy B. McLean]

Is this an election year?

Randy
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Theo Negoita 
  To: all at gren.ca 
  Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 9:37 PM
  Subject: [All] Fw: Standing up to sprawl with land defenders from the HanlonCreek


        FYI

        --- On Wed, 4/7/10, hcbp occupation <hcbpoccupation at gmail.com> wrote:


          From: hcbp occupation <hcbpoccupation at gmail.com>
          Subject: Standing up to sprawl with land defenders from the Hanlon Creek
          To: info at gren.ca, info at stopthequarry.ca
          Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 6:52 PM


          Please forward far and wide

          In the summer of 2009 construction at the proposed Hanlon Creek
          Business Park was shut down and occupied by dozens of people and
          supported by hundreds more through the city and the province. Long
          standing concerns had been ignored for too long - an Old Growth
          forest, endangered species, drinking water, ongoing Colonialism, and
          the general direction the world is headed. This action built on the
          work of hundreds of people who have been defending the hanlon creek
          for more than a decade.

          At 7:00 PM On April 29 2010, in Ed Video (40 Baker street)
          participants in last summers action will be discussing what happened,
          why it was significant and most importantly where to go from here
          because the battle to protect the Hanlon Creek is just beginning. Come
          out to share your ideas and develop an action plan so as to ensure
          that the Hanlon Creek stay exactly the way it is, wild and
          undeveloped.


          For more information read below:

          The Hanlon Creek Watershed flows through southern Guelph, and is a
          survivor of many decades of industrial growth. It’s seven tributaries
          flow into the Speed River, which in turn flows into the Grand River,
          one of the most vital watershed regions in Southern Ontario.  One of
          these seven tributaries was the subject of intense attention this
          year, as the City of Guelph sought to begin construction of a business
          park with a long history of opposition.

          Since its inception more than a decade ago, the Hanlon Creek Business
          Park (HCBP) has been one of the most contentious and challenged
          developments in the City of Guelph. In 2005, residents of the
          Kortright Hills Neighbourhood Association fought the City of Guelph in
          the Ontario Municipal Board, and won some tweaks to the overall plan
          that delayed it for several years.  In 2008, a diverse group of people
          organized together to prevent the HCBP once and for all. Land Is More
          Important Than Sprawl (LIMITS) formed then, and organized in many ways
          in the community.  Numerous other groups have raised serious problems
          with it, like the Sierra Club of Canada, the Guelph Civic League,
          Wellington Water Watchers, the Council of Canadians, Guelph Urban
          Forest Friends, and more.

          But the more well-researched arguments people brought to the City, the
          more the City of Guelph shut down to dialogue from community
          members.Eventually every possible legal option had been exhausted.
          Ignoring concerns from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the
          City tried to begin construction of Phase 1 of the HCBP.  People who
          were not associated with LIMITS had been watching all along,
          suspecting that the City was not interested in re-considering this
          industrial project.

          At dawn on Monday July 26, a coldwater creek of the Hanlon Creek
          watershed became a flashpoint of resistance. 60 people converged and
          occupied the site, right where a 4-lane culvert was supposed to be put
          across a tributary of the Hanlon Creek.  Autonomous from any
          organization, a broad coalition of Land Defenders attracted hundreds
          of supporters from all over Guelph, Southern Ontario, and other parts
          of this continent.  Lasting for 18 days, this action succeeded in
          stopping construction for 2009, and has created a huge legal and
          political battle that continues today.

          Within four days of being on the land, the City of Guelph delivered an
          injunction to try and force people off the land, which would have the
          threat of police and imprisonment to back it up. Seven people’s names
          were on the injunction, including a claim for $5 million in damages.
          With only a weekend to prepare, a legal battle soon began, with
          courtrooms packed full of supporters.  In the end, the occupation
          lasted for 18 days, eventually ending in injunctions forcing the City
          of Guelph to stop work and the Land Defenders to vacate the site.

          Since then, the City of Guelph has maintained their lawsuit against
          the remaining five individuals (two of the original people were
          dropped).  In August the City reduced their claim to $150,000, to
          “recover costs associated with stolen equipment and damage to the
          property.”  Then on February 24 2010, the City changed it back to $5
          million, “to ensure that the actual cost of damages incurred to date
          and potential future damages resulting from protestor activity can be
          recovered so the business park can move forward without further cost
          to taxpayers.”
       



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