[All] Update from Melancthon

Sat Aug 10 18:47:36 EDT 2013

Mega Quarry is officially history and a big party is scheduled for Aug 18 to celebrate. Also, read up on policy follow ups underneith. 

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: The Food and Water First Team <megaquarrynews at gmail.com>
To: Louisette Lanteigne <butterflybluelu at rogers.com> 
Sent: Friday, August 9, 2013 1:04:01 PM
Subject: August 18th: Come celebrate Food & Water. Highland Sells!

August 18th: Come celebrate Food & Water. Highland Sells!  
June 2013  
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Latest News
Another F&WF Victory: Highland Sells!
On July 16th 2013, Bonnefield Financial bought the proposed Mega Quarry lands. Read Article

The next frontier: changing the law
Virtually all land in Ontario, still lies unprotected. Read Article

Join the party in Honeywood August 18th: Come celebrate Food and Water First!
Remember Foodstock, Soupstock and Taters Not Craters? We’re throwing another party in Honeywood next Sunday.
Read Article

  Facebook  
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  Website        Another F&WF Victory: Highland Sells!

On July 16th 2013, Bonnefield Financial announced the acquisition of 6,500 acres of farmland located in Dufferin County. This is the same Class 1 farmland owned by the Highland Companies since 2006 and once proposed for the largest quarry in Canadian history. The Bonnefield purchase means the rare agricultural soil and aquifer beneath its fields will not be mined for limestone. The Mega Quarry is now history!

Bonnefield, based in Ottawa and established in 2009, is a leading farmland investment and property manager that actively invests in and manages farmland across Canada. The core of Bonnefield’s mission is farmland for farming. They buy farmland and lease it to local farmers.

What this means is:
	* The Melancthon area is no longer threatened by the prospect of a Mega Quarry
	* {Celebrate Food & Water First}, [LINK to article] a day-long party on August 18th in Honeywood, is going to be a celebration extraordinaire
	* It is possible to protect farmland, giving a kick to our campaign to change Ontario laws governing extraction!
How did we defeat the Highland Companies and its backer – the Baupost Group, the 7th largest hedge fund in the world? Never underestimate people power, a good cause, and the knowledge that we were right and they were wrong. Thank you for being a part of it!     
The next frontier: changing the law
Our victory over Highland/Baupost is tremendous, but the land that Bonnefield recently purchased from Highland, like virtually all land in Ontario, still lies unprotected. While the Melancthon fields are now back in the hands of farmers, the rest of Ontario’s prime farmland still lies unprotected. Farmers wishing to erect outbuildings still face an Assessment (EA). And no, they don’t need an EA to excavate a massive quarry.

Food and Water First is here to change things. As you read this, a report on the state of the Aggregate Resources Act is being written. The Ontario government acknowledges that there's a vast amount of coordination to protecting food and water, and the ARA report will make specific recommendations for our legislators to debate. We certainly have many MPPs on our side!

Food and Water First grows stronger
In the meantime we are busy signing up partners—from stores to municipalities—to add support to the cause. We have wonderful support from organizations like the Toronto Food Policy Council, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the David Suzuki Foundation, the Ontario Rivers Alliance, the Townships of Melancthon, Mulmur, Mono, New Tecumseth, and many others.

If you have a business or an organization that can lend support to Food and Water First, whether it’s financial, an in-kind donation or just a vote of confidence, let us know. Remember that you can connect with us on  Twitter, Facebook, or have Donna T. put you on her email list!      
Join the Party August 18th in Honeywood, Ontario: Celebrate Food and Water First!
We do know how to throw a party! Foodstock, Soupstock, Taters Not Craters. They all featured local food and local talent. We’re throwing another party in Honeywood on Sunday August 18th.

From 11am to 3pm we’ll be toasting the bounty of the land and this unique agricultural community. (There will also be some cheers to mark the end of the Mega Quarry!) 

Enjoy local food served by local chefs, live music, fine art, a farmers’ market, children’s activities, a rousing speech or two and wagon rides to a stunning vista of the fields, forests and river valleys.

Come join in the fun! Admission is $5 and free for kids 5 and under. Food will cost you $2 to $5.  Bring your own plate and fork, and add a bike if you’d like a self-guided tour of the area.

Summer read
If you’re looking for a good summer read, may we suggest Consumed: Food for a Finite Planet by Sarah Elton.

This prolific Canadian food writer looks at what it will take to feed 9 billion. She embarks on an in-depth exploration of the farming techniques that are blossoming around the world in response to the unsustainable course that industrial farming is currently charting.  

Sarah’s book will be available for purchase at Celebrate Food & Water First on August 18th. We hope to see you there!

Food and Water First is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving farmland, securing the food supply, and safeguarding ground water in Canada. Food and Water First uses your contact information to send you information on topics and events that may be of interest to you. We do not share your contact information with any outside parties.

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