City meeting at the Mississauga Senior's Centre
To lay the foundation for the elimination of the Northmount community
and the
Cawthra Bush
by the
Queen of Urban Sprawl her self - Hazel McCallion
None-the-less, the meeting was set-up to not encourage public participation or input. The table that the City and Moldenhauer Development sat at was a good 20 feet back from where the taxpayers chairs were set-up. This gave the feeling that a wall or barrier (or maybe a moat), existed between the community and these who redevelop it. There was no mike for the taxpayers to use, just for those at the table. This forced those who were already upset, to yell just to be heard, not a smart move. I have been to meetings in the Senior's Olga Tyne Auditorium before and mikes were set up for the public to use, in fact the speakers for the sound system can be seen mounted on the wall in some pictures. It is no wonder there were repeated calls that the City was not listening to us.
The City notice for the Feb. 4th, meeting was dated Jan. 21st, exactly two weeks before the meeting. 2 weeks notice is considered to be the bare minimum for public notices and would only have arrived on time if they were delivered that day, they were mailed the next day. I received mine Jan. 26. Remember the City agreed to another meeting on Jan. 12th. and just how long does the City need to set up a public meeting in one of its own halls? The City has time and time again given residents late notices, it is more the rule then the exception, especially when it does not want public input.
It was noted earlier on that the City notice for this meeting sounded some what threatening in the way it said "Please be advised that Mayor McCallion is planning on attending this meeting." and from the way she acted at the meeting, I was right. Read on.
A word about the notices we sent out to hundreds of local homeowners, much thanks to Paul Szabo, Mississauga South M.P., for his assistance. They were mailed Jan. 26th, (Tues.), but many were post marked Feb. 3! As few had arrived by Monday (Feb. 2), calls were made to Canadian Post and the situation was explained and we were ensured they searched every where to make sure no boxes of mail were laying around undelivered. However, some even arrived just before the Feb. 10th, meeting! I suspect that, what happened was when someone saw the hundreds of letters, that someone thought it would be a bit too much to delivery them all right away and then did only a few a day. The winter weather was bad and there was a blizzard when the letters were delivered directly to the Post Office, all neatly packed into 2 boxes. In addition to that mailing I rode around the community on my bike delivering to many other homes and mailed to 68 other homes. About 1,000 notices were delivered.
Mr. Szabo M.P., was true to his word and came to address the issues and was very poorly treated by the Mayor. Even Mr. King felt so. Mr. Szabo and the taxpayers were calling for this matter to be reconsidered due to the extremely negatively impacts of this townhouse subdivision and those that would follow. Mr. Szabo stood up for us in the name of fairness, when other elected representatives would not.
Two member of the Green Party
also came and spoke on our behalf.
Pamela Murray who has run in Mississauga
South in both of the last Federal & Provincial elections.
Dan King who ran in the last Provincial
election, in Kenora-Rainy River. He has often help the Green Party
in a support role and helped us by taking some of the pictures that evening.
Picture taken by Dan King.
Paul Szabo speaking in defence of taxpayers rights and fairness toward us in general.
Picture supplied by Pamela Murray.
Picture taken by Dan King.
Don Barber (me), speaking about how the proposed townhouse subdivision will eliminate the Northmount community and the Cawthra Bush, in time. Most there were informed of this meeting by the Cawthra Ratepayers' and Residents' Association. Past and present members as well as the Friends of the Cawthra Bush were in attendance.
Picture taken by Dan King.
The straw vote for no townhouse subdivisions on Northmount and only single family homes in the future. The majority agreed. The flyers/petition that are being held up with the bright yellow attachment were handed out by us and made a good voting flag.
It should also be remembered that in Mississauga taxpayers and homeowners DO NOT get to vote on development issues. So this vote happened only as the CRRA called for it, otherwise the City could not care less!
Picture taken by Dan King.
Shows more of the people and hard shot to quickly take.
Some may think it was a waste of time to attend a meeting where you do not get what you want right then & there but government operations do not often work that way. The process is to ask the same question a few time and record the answer, the process. That makes it very important to go these meetings and express your concerns, even if someone else has said them. It is like voting, the more people who speak, to go on the record, the better.
This fact is one that also has its greatest effect when reported to OMB or any other legal forum. At which the question will be asked, when were concerns raised, what were they, how often were they raised and by who. To show up at the last minute with a whole list is considered bad form, without good reason. Remember silence is considered agreement - even if it is obtained by unsavoury means.
Many others spoke that night, echoing the same concerns over and over, that the proposed development will be a disaster and set the stage for worse to follow.
The Mayor, Hazel McCallion (who
is a developer herself & other members of her family are in that
industry), showed little confidence in the ability of the local Ward 1,
Councillor, Carmen Corbasson (going for her bottle), by showing up and
taking over the meeting at some points. It also showed that something
bigger then just a so-called small townhouse subdivision was going on.
The
whole community was to be served up to developers and the Mayor did not
want it screwed up. The Councillor at an earlier meeting actually
told homeowners their taxes would likely go UP due to the Moldenhauer development.
The Mayor was very clear with her blocking gesture, shut up and put up
with City decisions - RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!
Is it because our Mayor knows the Fix is in at the Ontario Municipal Broad (OMB)? It sure sounded like that at the Jan. 12th., meeting and then who should appear but an ex-City of Mississauga Councillor to be the judge at this OMB hearing. Who's efforts to aid the City in destroying the Cawthra Bush, by way of the City's Forest Management Plan, is well known to us.
The McCallion method, if people do not
agree, high stick to the face till they go away then say no one disagreed.
After seeing Hazel McCallion's true face most stated they lost all respect
for her and she was not the person they were lead to believe by the media.
Yes, the reality bites!
Indeed, after the meeting most felt it was a waste of time as no one on the other side of the table cared at all about the damage being done to their community, their homes and the Cawthra Bush. Mr. Szabo had pointed out that peoples homes were the biggest investment of our lives and should be treated with the greatest respect.
We were told this meeting was only to make comments on the site plan which the developer did not present as part of their display. WHY? That is noted below, as there was one major change to the plans that we would have every right to be upset over. So it is only natural it was hidden from us, as were most City records leading up to this meeting.
The more important question is what else
has been hidden from us?
The Mayor, Hazel McCallion (who
is a developer herself & other members of her family are in that
industry), likes to used strong hand signs and language to make people
give up and go away. Stop opposing the City as it sells out your
community. Here is she doing what she often does, pointing something
out, like City Council makes the decisions it thinks is in its best interests,
NOT the affected community, that is the law and the way it is!
Nothing like a rant from a Mayor who has been in office far too
long and City staff acts like they have heard it all before. This
picture was taken about the same time as taxpayers were getting really
upset that the City (the Mayor), was not listening to taxpayers concerns.
Looks like Councillor Corbasson is praying
that Hazel can pour on the disrespect thick enough that to drive us from
the process. Government always considers silence to be agreement.
Another reason why notices about community meeting go out so close to meeting
dates that people hardly have a chance to get ready for it.
This is the picture of the blueprint that R. Poitras, Manager, City
Development and Design Division tried to prevent me from taking a picture
of. Given the way he tried to take it from me, it shows how quickly
City staff are to aggression and confrontation towards me. To provoke
me at every opportune and then blame me, for what they did knowing they
can hid behind the Mayors skirt. This is part of their efforts to
frame me by creating a history of false records, to justify some form or
legal action. As the old saying goes, cut off the head and the body
dies.
It happened after the meeting when Andrew, a resident who had standing at the OMB Hearing was given the new blueprints that were not available at the City Jan. 12th, meeting or on display at this one. I even asked the developer's planner about the site plans and was told to look at what was on display (below), which did not show a very important detail.
THE CHILDREN ARE TO PLAY BESIDE THE GARBAGE!
The whole reason for this public meeting was for the public to comment on the new site plans and the blueprint was not on display, just the strip down version below, not showing where the garbage will be dumped for pick up.
Back to the account, the front table where the City & the developer were, was now empty as they had cleared out after the meeting. It was there that I laid out the blueprint to take a picture of it, to ensure I got a copy of it, being very concerned about making children play by piles of garbage but I needed proof in hand before making an issue of it. Mr. Poitras snuck up on me and right after this picture was taken he snatched it way and just as fast I grabbed it back! He tried to claim it was the City's but everyone quickly corrected him.
Detail of the blueprint & the sheet that explains more about its details given to the OMB.
The display version that does not show the garbage dump & pick
up area right beside the "amenity space or outdoor children's play area
in accordance with City Council's endorsed Design Reference". We
are being told that these townhouses will be high class and quality but
how could that be, given the facts?
PLEEASSE SIGN OUR PETITION
It will make a difference!
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