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Page - 4 - Mississauga News, Sunday, Dec. 7/97 Friends' allegations -- untrue Corbasson Friends of the Cawthra Bush are not telling the truth about the City's desire to use the mature woodlot, says Ward I Councillor Carmen Corbasson. "I have never heard any suggestion that we would use the Cawthra Bush for recreational activities," says Corbasson. "To me recreational uses would mean tennis courts and baseball diamonds. The most we're proposing is putting woodchip trails in. If there are proper trails, then that might alleviate the problem now of pedestrians going all over the place." Corbasson said she disagrees with many statements made by Friends of Cawthra Bush in a newsletter the organization sent to residents promoting an upcoming open house and public meeting being hosted by the City on a draft management plan for the woodlot. Among other things, the newsletter says the woodlot is slowly drying up, with the City refusing to act to save it. "As it stands now, the forest will eventually dry up, lose its environmental significance and the salamanders will die," says the newsletter. The latter reference is to the presence of the provincially rare Jefferson salamander which the Friends group discovered in the woodlot. Corbasson says the City has every intention of trying to protect the population of mole salamanders. An expert will be addressing council's Urban Forest Management Advisory Committee in January about how best to preserve their habitat. In reference to Friends founder and spokesman Don Barber, Corbasson said, "If Don thinks we're going to completely block off this woodlot to protect the salamanders, he's wrong. We're not going to do that, although we may end up fencing off the pond." As for statements the City wants to destroy the woodlot by logging it or letting it waste away by neglect, Corbasson says, "When you listen to these criticisms week after week, after awhile I have to be honest with you - you block it out." The open house on the draft woodlot management plan will be held from 5-7 p.m. at the Mississauga Seniors Centre Thursday. It will be followed by the public meeting at 7 p.m. The City hasn't made up its mind about the management Plan, says Corbasson. "We want to hear from the public. That's why we're going to a public meeting," she says.
[COMMENTS BY DON B. - A text book case of political manipulation of the facts to defame those who oppose City plans and it is not hard to guess whose side Corbasson is on. Most people will not know the details of this issue and are easily lead to the wrong conclusion by Corbasson. Example "the City has every intention of trying to protect the population of mole salamanders." Yes, intention and trying, two words that carry very little weight, especially as the City has not produced a management plan that even notes what habitat these salamanders require, let alone, in writing, committing to any specific acts designed to ensure the survival of either the salamanders or the wetlands on which they depend. Corbasson said, "If Don thinks we're going to completely block off this woodlot to protect the salamanders, " I have never said or even suggested this and when ever asked if that is the intention of concerned residents the answer has always been, no. This effort by Corbasson should be considered to be a deliberate effort to mislead the public through the use of falsehoods or that she real has no clue what is going on around her. Just what you would expect from a politician. Her statements about the pond do support the idea she knows very little about what the facts are in this case. Corbasson states "I have never heard any suggestion that we would use the Cawthra Bush for recreational activities," She was a member of UFMAC, and the matter of recreational activities and of what nature, at Cawthra has come up often. For her to say she doesn't recall this and then to suggest it could mean tennis courts and baseball diamonds, like she just doesn't know what is on the table, is very odd indeed. Maybe she is just saying this to manipulate public opinion, the opinion of persons who will only read newspaper accounts. As an elected official her mandate, her job, what taxpayers pay her to do is to represent residents concerns. What is Carmen Corbasson's, the Councillor for Ward 1 attitude? She states " I have to be honest with you ... you block it out." This says it all, about what she thinks of residents concerns and it is no wonder she has NEVER even tried to meet with the Friends of the Cawthra Bush (we have been around for over 4 years, longer then she has been elected), or attended any of our meetings or forest clean up. She didn't even attend the meeting noted in this article, the one where she claims she want to hear from the public. Speaking of attitude, she has also never said thank you to the FCB for finding what City staff and its well paid consultants failed to find, salamanders and crayfish. Or for our forest clean ups. or anything else for that matter. Any way the proper title for this article should be "Corbasson - Untrue to residents." ]
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