• Protecting Water and Farmland in Simcoe County

Yes we could! Site 41 group celebrates victory

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In Simcoe County
Jul 26th, 2010
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By Kate Harries SDS41 July 26 2010
Several hundred people gathered in the Perkinsfield Pavilion Saturday to look back on a tumultuous year of fighting Dump Site 41 and to celebrate victory – a series of victories.
The first victory came last August when Simcoe County Council voted for a one-year moratorium on development of the dump – which was within weeks of opening. The second, a month later, when councillors voted to halt construction permanently.
Another came when charges against 19 protestors were dropped or stayed last December.
But still, the province’s Certificate of Approval remained in place and council could change its mind at any moment. Greg Athron of the ministry of the environment continued to maintain that site 41 was an excellent location for a dump (while continuing to refuse to provide answers on anamolous test results and other issues raised by the Site 41 Community Monitoring Committee.)
Finally, n June, County Council bowed to the wishes of the people and voted to ask the province to revoke the C of A. Revocation came within hours. Council also voted to return the zoning of the land to agricultural and that process is presently underway in Tiny Township.
“It was a wonderful victory,” lawyer Peter Rosenthal told the crowd. “You built a community here – First Nations and settlers and farmers and cottagers…”
It was a community free of racism as we worked closely with our friends from Beausoleil First Nation and other aboriginal communities,  and free of sexism, with women taking leadership roles in keeping with the Anishinaabe belief that protecting water is a female responsibility.
Beth Brass Elson of BFN spoke briefly (as is her way) letting Dave Anderson from Northern Ontario – who helped hold the line on Tiny Concession 2 last summer – speak in her stead. “We stood together for our water, for our children, for our grandchildren, for our grandchildren’s grandchildren,” he said.
Vicki Monague shed tears as she recalled the two young men from Christian Island who drowned last month – one of them Beth’s son Matt, and the other, Gavin Jamieson, one of a group of firekeepers who played a pivotal role.  She paid tribute to Beth’s “warrior spirit.”
Stephen Ogden recalled the long history of the fight to Stop Dump Site 41. “This has been a long time coming,” he said.
Julie Barker, one of the originals from the Why Wye Citizens Group (formed in 1987), made a presentation to Steve and Gord Leonard, two stalwarts on the Site 41 |Community Monitoring Committee.
Dale Goldhawk of Boomer Radio was MC, the Gwagago Kwag singers and Bob Dutton provided musical entertainment, and everyone enjoyed the corn, the cake and visiting with friends and companions from an epic struggle.

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