Site 41 Dead for a year and maybe forever

Tuesday August 25 was a long day for those fighting the insanity of Dump Site 41. It started with the County trying to confuse, mislead and delay the answers requested by the many well informed opponents of site 41. The Information Session at 9:00 a.m. was to be another charade but a forceful crowd inside the meeting hall at the Simcoe County Museum would have none of it. The chair they hired to run the meeting lost control in about 15 minutes and it reverted to a question and answer sessions as it should have been anyway. A number of county councillors were present and I think they were overwhelmed by the attendance of 500 people, and how well the individuals were informed allowing them to sober up on the Site 41 issue.
The Council meeting started at 11:00 a.m. with a closed session. Closed sessions normally take 30 to 60 minutes, but this one took about 150 minutes. I am not sure if they were hoping the people would get tired and go away or was the Warden trying to twist the arms of those opposed to Site 41 to change their minds about a moratorium.
When we were finally allowed to enter the open session, we became aware of how badly Site 41 has been managed. Councillors appeared to be unaware of many opportunities to dispose of the garbage intended for Site 41 with neighboring Counties that have moved to leading edge incineration technology. The council did one thing that was prudent and appropriate. They passed a motion to cease litigation for damages against those threatened with a suit for construction delay damages. It was also interesting that council passed a motion to ratify the actions taken by the CAO regarding the injunction. It simply proves what many have said. The protest injunction was initiated by a very small group and not by the council. We know who they were.
Our Warden when it came to the moratorium issue, did everything in his power to cajole, intimidate, brow beat, condescend the other councillors. At first it appeared he was trying to avoid the moratorium vote or possibly have it voted down. Like our Springwater Township Councillors have finally realized, the County Councillors have discovered their leader lacks credibility and his vision/agenda cannot be trusted or followed. Much to every one's delight the one year moratorium was passed and the site shut down as of today. It appears that there may be a motion at the next County meeting to stop the project completely which would be the right thing to do.
Now you talk about a Jekyll and Hyde. I just watched A News and the Warden now says that Site 41 should be abandoned completely because of the sensitive environmental concerns. That means one of two things. Either he slipped and fell and bumped his head leaving the county building and has rejoined reality after a three year absence or he would like the Site 41 issue to disappear before the next election. If the one year Moratorium holds, Site 41 will definitely be an election issue. Please be reminded what our Mayor said when he was running for the election. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/HealerG#play/all/uploads-all/1/J8oAXNzl0WY.
All those that have been arrested and stuck by their beliefs need to be congratulated. Without their pain and suffering, yesterday would have been quite different.
We need to stay on this issue until the site is permanently closed. Being a skeptic and spending too much time observing the political process, it would not be beyond the realm of possibility that the County in a secretive way will attempt to have the Provincial Government order the completion of the Dump and then say they had no control.
Keep informed by reading Springwater News http://www.springwaternews.ca/

Barrie Gun Club pleads guilty

Based on an area resident's complaint, the township laid a charge against the Barrie Gun Club on Pinegrove Road for a "cut and fill" bylaw violation in the Spring of 2008. After a number of delays and adjournments, the case was heard in the Provincial Court in Wasaga Beach on August 18, 2009. The club and Township reached a plea agreement whereby the Barrie Gun Club pleaded guilty to the offence and was fined $2000.
The area residents were hoping for a more meaningful fine as a deterrent, but the prosecutor for the township commented that the courts for some reason do not impose hefty fines.
The Barrie Gun Club has been the subject of growing safety and noise concerns with the area residents over the last 10 years as they have continued to expand in size and use over that time. Nothing in the township bylaws prevents their continued expansion.
Once a club for serious sportsman, it has become a haven for gun enthusiasts and sports shooters adding to the noise impact on the local 30 residential properties. Few members of the club actually live in the area.
The Township has been unwilling to take a serious position on the negative impact with the residents and have offered lip service through numerous meetings but failed to reach any conclusive results or action.

God Bless Donny Nelson

Last week Don Nelson phoned our house and invited us to a big family reunion get together. My wife comes from the Bakers in Coulson and Ivy and somewhere we are all connected. I know my father helped Don in the early days of farming when we were on the 5th of Flos.
Don and I spoke a couple of weeks ago about the concerns he had with our council and the mayor. He even said that if no one stands, he will run as mayor in 2010 and I would have supported him. It would be nice to have the intelligence, honesty and common sense of a farmer running our mainly rural township.
To our shock, this morning (Monday Aug 10) my mother in law Nina Baker who resides with us got a call from her brother in law Johnny Baker saying that he had been at the reunion and Donny died of a massive heart attack at the event. In the spirit and wishes of Don the reunion continued even though in more sober atmosphere.
Don is one of those true spirits of determination and perseverance. Even though plagued with health issues his entire life, he made the best of it and was thankful for all he had. The last time I saw him was on A-Channel in his wheel chair breathing through his oxygen tube. Nothing kept the man down. He stated on the news clip that he was willing to go to jail and do whatever was necessary to stop the insanity of Site 41.
In closing our prayers go to his family and friends. I am greatly saddened because of another family commitment I did not have the opportunity of seeing Don for one last time on the weekend.
God Bless you Donny

Why are Springwater Councillors Not Making a Stand

From my discussions with various members of Springwater council, most are opposed to Dump Site 41. I know the deputy mayor was at the rally in Perkinsfied recently and that another councillor has visited the blockade on a number of occasions.
It would be appreciated by the residents of Springwater for a couple of councillors to table a motion, requesting that the development of the site be put on hold for a year and that a third party review be undertaken to assess its impact on future generations. The councillors of Tiny had the courage to pass such a motion recently. I hope that Mayor Guergis continued blind trust in the advice of the bureaucrats and his unwavering support of the site is not intimidating those on council who oppose the site.
I would ask Hope, Cowan, Anderson, Clement, Collins and Caldwell to stand up for our children, grandchildren and future generations possibly avoiding the legacy of creating one of the greatest environmental catastrophe in the modern world.
What harm is there in double checking a site that was thought to inappropriate some 20 years ago when first considered.
We elect the politicians not the staff or the rest of the bureaucrats. We ask you the politicians to protect the well being of the electorate, the citizens of Springwater Township.