Looking back at Beeton Woods controversy

‘All these issues were important and deserved serious attention’

Letter to the New Tecumseth Free Press from Stephanie MacLellan, Beeton
As the one year Anniversary of AWARE Simcoe’s plight to Save the Beeton Woods at Simcoe County Council passed, I recall some pivotal discussions had by County Councillors and I’m not able to sit back quietly and merely accept some statements made. Allow me to set the record straight, because it seems as though Simcoe County Council will not.

October 13/15 at County Council Innisfil Deputy Mayor Lynn Dollin stated: “I would urge members of New Tecumseth to do some outreach to this community because there were so many false statements made in the emails about the land being environmentally protected and so on…” I completely agree Deputy Mayor Dollin. Had County Council not shielded themselves behind a quasi-judicial hearing and read all the information given as evidence, Council would have known Beeton woods was Environmentally Protected. New Tecumseth designates this forest environmental protection 1 and 2. Simcoe County lists this forest as significant woodlands. These maps were provided to County Council April 7/15.

At that same meeting Oro-Medonte Mayor Harry Hughes said: “It is a very normal process when you go to court, otherwise we are passing a policy that says, anyone that wants to take someone to court, a municipal government to court on whatever frivolous base it is…” The definition of frivolous, ‘having no sound basis, not important, not deserving serious attention.’ Allow me to remind you of some serious and important issues that ultimately moved this forward to court.

When Tecumseth Estates wanted to submit further evidence after the close of the hearing this was granted to them without any other participants including the Town of New Tecumseth being given the opportunity to respond. When a participant and even the Town of New Tecumseth asked to include additional evidence/submissions, the participant received correspondence from Simcoe County’s Clerk’s office stating “no further evidence can be submitted after the close of the hearing.”

I don’t even know if the Town Of New Tecumseth’s submission was even addressed at County Council, and frankly I don’t know if the Town even cared enough to check.

Also of note, County Councillors Brian Smith and Councillor Anita Dubeau, were absent during the April 14 hearing, but when it came to May 12/15, when the County was ruling on the Beeton Woods issue, Councillors Smith and Dubeau participated in the final vote even though they weren’t at the hearing to hear any of the evidence or testimony. All these issues were important and deserved serious attention.

Warden Gerry Marshall had strong words to kick-off the November 24/15 County Council meeting referring to correspondence received from The Council of Canadians National Chairperson, Maude Barlow, (in support of AWARE Simcoe). In her letter, Ms. Barlow made reference to “an attempt by a previous Simcoe County Council to sue the perceived leaders of the opposition of Dump Site 41.”

To this, Warden Gerry Marshall stated in Council, “My understanding, my investigations show there was no attempt to sue anybody and no pursuit of a lawsuit, so that I find language matters, and so this wild reference to something that actually didn’t occur, didn’t exist.”

Actually Warden, it did exist. Simcoe County sought an injunction to stop the protest at Site 41. That was a lawsuit. Simcoe County sought $160,000 in damages from dairy farmer Anne Ritchie-Nahuis and Beausoleil Island First Nation member Vikki Monague. That was a lawsuit.

There was even a court file #09-0961, and a motion at Simcoe County passed August 25/09 to discontinue the claim for damages against Ritchie-Nahuis and Monague. So Warden, your statement was not accurate, and language does matter.

Most recently at County Council April 26/16, where it was suggested, “AWARE’s integrity was at stake” Mayor Hughes stated: “I also noted that we heard the information AWARE doesn’t have any money and yet there was a meeting held for the Greenbelt Association in Barrie…” Well Mayor Hughes you are correct, it cost money to put on that meeting, and it was Environmental Defense who paid for it, not AWARE Simcoe.

At the same meeting Mayor Hughes also played an active part in discussions (and voted) regarding the AWARE Simcoe cost award. However, Mayor Hughes is also actively pursuing legal action against an Oro-Medonte resident who sits on the AWARE Simcoe board of directors. I think this should have been disclosed to Council before your commentary Mayor Hughes.

So I hope Warden Marshall and Mayor Hughes, you take this new, correct information and do some outreach with your fellow County Councillors. After all, as the County’s motto suggests, it’s “For The Greater Good.”