Newsletter;
Feb. 2001 - Flyer FCB & CRRA
To: The Cawthra Ratepayers'
and
Residents' Association (CRRA)and the FRIENDS OF THE CAWTHRA BUSH
&
GREATER MISSISSAUGA AREA (FCB)
Station B Box 1504 Mississauga Ontario L4Y 4G2 - donbar@arvotek.net CAWTHRA BUSH IS DECLARED A
PROVINCIALLY SIGNIFICANT WETLANDS COMPLEX
(as a result of community activism)
&
THE JEFFERSON SALAMANDER IS DECLARED A
FEDERALLY THREATENED SPECIES These are major wins - but - they are not final victory
As the City of Mississauga remain committed to the slow destruction of the Cawthra Bush's only
protection from development - its environmental significance,
while dis-empowering taxpayers who oppose City's plans in the process. This one page flyer can only briefly touch on the issues of the day and our recent activities. If you would like more information then please fill out the membership form at the end of this sheet, so you will receive our newsletter and be a part of a very successful effort. As well as, other community updates and notices of interest to the environmentally and democratically minded. GENERAL - UPDATE
Our fund raising - Sept. 30/00, went very well and raised $ 150. The BBQ was very well organized with three teams of volunteers that kept the event running smoothly.
The Data Base - to run our groups on is coming along much better now that I am getting some help and it will be the foundation of great growth in the first year of this millennium. As it is over the 2,000 mark there is a need for volunteers to make calls and to follow up on our mailings, calling persons to see if they are still interested the Cawthra Bush issue and would like a mailing.
Are you an animal lover? - There will be more information about the sorry state of affairs regarding animal welfare in Mississauga, that will include examples both past and present. Remember the Burnhamthorpe Cat Shelter? A story worth re-discovering, with its unresolved issues and the classic political methods used by the City. WALLED GARDEN ON THE CAWTHRA ESTATE - ALL BUT DESTROYED BY THE CITY
History is repeating itself. Again the City of Mississauga tries to sneak past Mississaugans its plan's that would have a destructive effect on the Cawthra Bush's ecosystem and heritage, but again we were there to sound the alarm that changed City plans. After all the promises that were made to the public that the City would inform and involve the public in its activities regarding the Cawthra Bush, we discover it was only a political promise. The plan for "Demolition" of most of what remains of a unique historical structure was put forward by the City's Heritage Coordinator, Mark Warrack, to the City's Heritage Advisory Committee. This plan makes no mention of how rare walled (English style kitchen) gardens are; M. Warrack has told me there are no others in Mississauga and the number in Ontario is unknown. This plan was added so late it didn't show on the publicly posted agenda. I found it literally on the last page of the 124-page-long General Committee agenda. There was not enough time to mobilize a group effort, especially as the City choose the Christmas season to launch its attack, still I did get a mailing out. At the Dec. 13, City Council, five of us addressed this issue and changes were made to City plans. At this meeting I made the public announcement that the Jefferson salamander has just been Federally declared a threatened species, City staff demonstrated no knowledge of this fact and couldn't even answer the simple question - Were their plans even legal?! The often used and false reason given, was safety concerns. Proof of this claim was asked for, but the City's Heritage Coordinator has refused to provide it. Nor could he explain why the small pile of bricks from the wall being knocked down by vandals (it didn't fall down), was any more dangerous or a safety hazard than the surrounding wild forest. Before the City showed up to smash down our heritage site they received a formal request to not do so, but to go the public about this to seek ways to make it safe without destroying it. All ignored. The Mississauga ("Missing") News refused to publish its story about this in time so Mississaugans could have expressed their opposition (a democratic right), to City plans and it was only after a letter of protest from our groups that the article was published. More in newsletter. THE LAKEVIEW GENERATING STATION - IS IT SHORTENING OUR LIVES?
I attended the Jan. 23/01 public information meeting held by Paul Szabo M.P. for Mississauga South and participated in the questioning. It was very well attended, some 400, and there were not a lot of believable answers to the serious questions asked. The biggest one, when or if the Lakeview Generating Station would be converted to nature gas, is still being considered. There is a myth going around that building the Sithe, the planned new power station, will somehow assist the phasing out of Lakeview, don't believe it! The Sithe will only add greatly to our over-polluted air shed. This new plant will not have to undergo an environmental assessment before being built. Local doctors are using the term "Lakeview cough", when treating young children with breathing problems. How much does our government value our health over industry? Unknown. There are groups who are opposing this, more in the next newsletter or my web-site. St. Dominic Church's Social Justice Education Committee will be holding a meeting, Feb. 27, 7pm, in the church hall, regarding the Lakeview Generating Station and air quality in Mississauga South. The guest speaker is Mr. Jack Gibbons of the Ontario Clean Air Alliance. Mar. 5, 7pm at City Hall there will be a Planning meeting regarding the Sithe and it is hoped there will be a large turn out of Mississaugans to express their concerns. For info you can call the City, Paulina Mikicich 896-5752. THE CITY OF MISSISSAUGA'S STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM
The City is mailing out forms regarding its new Stewardship program for the Cawthra Bush, a program designed to force our groups out of the picture. This group is under the control of City staff who are under the direct political control, of the same politicians who set out to destroy the our old-growth/wetlands urban forest and who don't care for our informed input! There is evidence the City will be recruiting its own staff and friends. This is an issue we must address as a strong group, so don't delay and send in your membership NOW! THE DEMOCRATIC REPORTER
The Democratic Reporter is my personal newspaper aimed at presenting a revealing insight into Mississauga politicians and the kind of politics they practice on us. The politics have really heated up, as have the personal attacks on me. This newspaper is founded separately from the CRRA & FCB, so if you want a full issue you have subscribe separately for it, $ 10. This newspaper will report the story more factually then the "Missing" News and will print items that appear on my web-site. As I am a victim of City attacks (one of many Mississaugans'), it is important for members of the community to have the other side of the story, knowing the media will not report it. You can decide if I am at risk from the City's actions. The "Missing News" says I am "likely to go to his grave trying." It is a common political method to public defame persons who disagree with government with whatever will invoke a strong prejudicial response, so Canadians will not stop to think that maybe they are being misled. So if you want the straight goods on what our Mayor and her staff do to a whistle blower who is too poor to buy justice, sign up today. Please ask friends and family to sign up, it really matters.
Please note if there is a person in your family who can come to meetings or other events during the day.
Please make sure the name on the envelope is spelled correctly.
Please note who in your the family is the most active member or to whom mail from us be addressed. Memberships will be divided up between the FCB and the CRRA, by where you live. There is not enough room to post a picture of the CRRA's area of representation. Membership is $ 10 - please make all cheques to, The Friends of the Cawthra Bush. _________________________________
NAME: (Please print)
___________________________________________________
ADDRESS & POSTAL CODE
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PHONE # FAX # and/or E-MAIL ADDRESS PLEASE ADD COMMENTS (such as your interest in this issue or how you can help): Sincerely yours - Donald Barber, President, FCB & Chair, CRRA |