Please Forward Widely.
What: Hanlon Creek Speaking event
Where: Ed Video, 40 Baker st.
When: At 7:00 PM On April 29
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.”