CMC disbands but cizens will continute to hold county to account
“I feel my home and farm were stolen from me”
By Kate Harries
There were heartfelt tributes and bitter-sweet memories as, after a tumultuous decade, the Site 41 Community Monitoring Committee disbanded yesterday.
CMC Chair Ron Cobbett noted that the job is not complete, but residents will continue to ensure that remaining issues of environmental concern are addressed by the County, perhaps through the formation of another committee.
“The reality is that we’re still living here,” Cobbett said. Addressing the 30-odd people in the audience, he added, “I really want to thank you, the public.” The committee worked hard through very tough times, he said, but the final achievement – the closing of the dump and the revocation of the C of A – came because of the actions of citizens.
George Lawrence, Tiny’s deputy mayor, recalled that he found county council to be a lonely place when bringing forward issues that the other politicians don’t want to deal with. But he always had a strong measure of comfort to fall back on. “I know I’ve got the balcony behind me filled with my supporters – and you were there,” he told the meeting.
Members of the audience had their own take on the events of the past year.
Don Morgan said there should be legal consequences for the way the injunction was handled, and the fact that Anne Ritchie-Nahuis and Vicki Monague still have outstanding legal claims against them, months after county council voted to drop the action. Until recently, few councillors knew that staff had failed to act on the council resolution.
Bob Ritchie expressed anger at misinformation that led to charges being laid against him, charges now in abeyance until December when they are to be wiped from the record. He was erroneously alleged to have been part of a human chain blocking the site. Others got charged despite never having broken any law – and the stress took a heavy toll on the health of elderly and sick protesters, he recalled, adding that he did not blame the police.
Since it was chosen as a potential location for a North Simcoe landfill in 1986, Dump Site 41 has affected a wide swathe of people. A heavy burden was borne by farmers in the immediate area, who suffered economic loss and personal disruption. One of the worst cases was that of Wayne Johnston, whose 200-acre farm was expropriated in 1998. A number of properties were purchased by the county as it assembled the Site 41 properties but his was the only expropriation.
“He’s endured a lot of pain,” said Stephen Ogden. Neither Ogden nor any of the others involved in fighting the dump at the time knew of the expropriation – they thought a deal had been reached – and they only learned that was not the case after seeking information following the last county council meeting.
Ogden read a letter Johnston sent to Warden Cal Patterson and all county councillors on June 2.
In it, Johnston writes: “I have always felt wronged by this deal, from being intimidated by your lawyers, the threat of expropriation for YEARS, always feeling like people were angry with me for what was happening and finally the end result, where I feel my home and farm were stolen from me.
“I would like my personal residence, all outbuilding and the land returned to its original state, as it was in 1994.”
By Kate Harries
There were heartfelt tributes and bitter-sweet memories as, after a tumultuous decade, the Site 41 Community Monitoring Committee disbanded yesterday.
CMC Chair Ron Cobbett noted that the job is not complete, but residents will continue to ensure that remaining issues of environmental concern are addressed by the County, perhaps through the formation of another committee.
“The reality is that we’re still living here,” Cobbett said. Addressing the 30-odd people in the audience, he added, “I really want to thank you, the public.” The committee worked hard through very tough times, he said, but the final achievement – the closing of the dump and the revocation of the C of A – came because of the actions of citizens.
George Lawrence, Tiny’s deputy mayor, recalled that he found county council to be a lonely place when bringing forward issues that the other politicians don’t want to deal with. But he always had a strong measure of comfort to fall back on. “I know I’ve got the balcony behind me filled with my supporters – and you were there,” he told the meeting.
Members of the audience had their own take on the events of the past year.
Don Morgan said there should be legal consequences for the way the injunction was handled, and the fact that Anne Ritchie-Nahuis and Vicki Monague still have outstanding legal claims against them, months after county council voted to drop the action. Until recently, few councillors knew that staff had failed to act on the council resolution.
Bob Ritchie expressed anger at misinformation that led to charges being laid against him, charges now in abeyance until December when they are to be wiped from the record. He was erroneously alleged to have been part of a human chain blocking the site. Others got charged despite never having broken any law – and the stress took a heavy toll on the health of elderly and sick protesters, he recalled, adding that he did not blame the police.
Since it was chosen as a potential location for a North Simcoe landfill in 1986, Dump Site 41 has affected a wide swathe of people. A heavy burden was borne by farmers in the immediate area, who suffered economic loss and personal disruption. One of the worst cases was that of Wayne Johnston, whose 200-acre farm was expropriated in 1998. A number of properties were purchased by the county as it assembled the Site 41 properties but his was the only expropriation.
“He’s endured a lot of pain,” said Stephen Ogden. Neither Ogden nor any of the others involved in fighting the dump at the time knew of the expropriation – they thought a deal had been reached – and they only learned that was not the case after seeking information following the last county council meeting.
Ogden read a letter Johnston sent to Warden Cal Patterson and all county councillors on June 2.
In it, Johnston writes: “I have always felt wronged by this deal, from being intimidated by your lawyers, the threat of expropriation for YEARS, always feeling like people were angry with me for what was happening and finally the end result, where I feel my home and farm were stolen from me.
“I would like my personal residence, all outbuilding and the land returned to its original state, as it was in 1994.”
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