Rural Council protest on steps of City Hall falls on deaf ears...
FOR NOW!

Rally focused on City's failings during two hour lead-up to Council's
ward boundary vote against effective rural representation.

In spite of threatened rain, and timing of Rally during peak planting season, the rurals who were able to attend were treated to excellent speeches from numerous individuals representing themselves or their organization.

Original Rally Notice and Background    (Also see LINKS to media coverage at bottom of page)

All of the speakers at the Rally were either members of the Rural Council, or endorse the principles which the Rural Council stand for. As Ms. Campbell explained, these principles are best summed up in the Rural Council's Mission Statement:

"The Rural Council of Ottawa-Carleton is a coalition of rural citizens and organizations representing communities, property owners and small business, dedicated to the preservation and protection of rural rights, values and freedom from unwarranted urban regulation, through education, advocacy and political leverage."

Janne Campbell addressing crowd.

Getting right down to business, he followed with, "After the next election, you need a Mayor who has been able to earn your trust and not just seek your votes when convenient. - I hope to earn that trust.

I will help you, and not leave your interests ignored, as is presently the case.

I will continue to seek your help, input and advice to make life better for you in this city."

Mr. McGarry also expressed, that with respect to the rural community, what is needed is a change in governance. "One size does not fit all. We need to return to local

His views regarding tax sharing: "Rural Ottawa is part of the City and deserves its fair share of any new revenue. I will not allow it to be used entirely for an O-train that serves no one from the rural areas."

On City Budgets: "I believe in controlled, sensible spending and in balanced budgets –as you rural business people and farm-business operators have been practicing for years."

PROPERTY RIGHTS ARE VITAL

McGarry stated, "Property rights need to be respected, and fair market value needs to be paid if your land is taken from you."

Also, "Rural residents should not be subjected to overwhelming regulations and bureaucracy."

Brian McGarry closed by saying, "These are just some of the issues I intend to resolve, given the opportunity in 2006."

He thanked the Rural Council for inviting him to speak, and wished the Rural Council and Rally attendees future success in their battles for fair and effective representation.

He then raised the issue, “It is a shame that a city would present ward boundary changes to be adopted with one rural Councillor disappearing, weakening the rural voice and going against previous O.M.B. ruling.”

Kilrea stated that the performance of the Mayor and about 14 Councillors have been a “total disgrace”, but
with the Mayor being about “70%” of the problem. He added, on the brighter side though, November 10, 2006 will cure that problem.

Terry Kilrea ran for Mayor in 2003

Bob McKinley said that the Rural Council had chosen this day to hold the Rally, "because Council was going to make a determination on our right to participate in the democratic process of the governance of Ottawa and that they would be reducing our presence at the Council table by more than 40%".

He went on to state, "A strong voice at Ottawa Council is fundamental because of the many issues coming forward that would seriously impact on the rural way of life.

The most compelling example is the City's decision to destroy farm practices by taking farmers to the Ontario Municipal Board under their Intensive Farming Bylaw. They've already spent more than $1,000,000 of taxpayer's money on this issue in unsuccessful litigation to the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Even though they have lost at every step, and the City's own legal department refuses to represent them, the City has decided to spend a further $300,000 challenging the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

He followed with, "Those of us who live in rural areas are ALL environmentalists. We live in rural areas because we enjoy the natural environment, and we have a very direct interest in preserving it."

"So why am I opposing the wetlands designation?", Walker asked.

"For three reasons."

(1.)The "underhanded and arbitrary process" that was used:

(2.) The residents are struck by the bizarre definition of wetlands:
a.) Your property doesn’t have to be wet to be a wetland:  Quote from Susan Murphy (city’s environmental planning dept.) on CBC Ottawa Morning show, Wed. June 8^th (Dave Stephens report):  'Land doesn’t have to be wet to be wetland'. This is bureaucracy gone crazy!
b.) MNR doesn't care if property is wet. MNR doesn't care why property is wet -  e.g. city drainage policies:
In fact, problems on some of our properties are caused by spring flooding. City is draining areas to north of us but making no provision for the increased water flow to pass through our area.  Isn’t that illegal?  Yes it is. Does city care? Apparenty not.  Summary:

• City fails to provide drainage
• Causes spring flooding on our properties
• Causes wetland plants to thrive
• City sees wetland plants
• City designates property

c.)  Another example:  In the late 80’s, tree planting was in vogue – “We need to plant more trees”.  Some owners have areas of tamaraks, recommended by MNR and planted under MNR’s Managed Forest Program.  Guess what?  Tamaraks are an indicator species for wetlands So:

• Province recommends tamaraks
• Owner plants tamaraks
• City sees tamaraks
• City designates property as wetland

d.)  There are two wetlands designations.  Provincially Significant designation causes problems. Our properties not Provincially Significant in their own right; at best, a few may be considered very marginal wetlands. To get around this, MNR has ‘complexed’ our land with existing Provincially Significant Wetlands (PSW) to the North;

• This means our properties would have all of the restrictions of PSW, but don’t have to meet same standards.
• This is a blatant injustice.
• While the city is doing this, it’s talking about allowing building on genuine wetlands like the Carp river floodplain. If you were cynical, you might think this is all smoke & mirrors.  They’re developing the Carp River floodplain and need to find wetland somewhere else to replace it.  However, designating new wetlands does not create wetland – they were there before (or not), whereas paving over wetland destroys it permanently.

(3.) This is a  Violation of Property Rights:

• Property values would be reduced from $2500/acre to $200/acre
  This amounts to $250,000 on 100 acres!
• If these are to be artificially created as 'Wetlands" as a communal benefit, why are    Landowners being asked to foot the bill?
• We can no more absorb these losses than can urban property owners. City’s first response is to deny there is any reduction in property values. City’s second response: no property tax on wetland areas (acreage only, not home value). That’s about $10 - $20 /acre/year.
• Gross violation of property rights.  City & province should either provide adequate compensation or back off.
• Not democracy – democracy respects minorities, respects property rights

Ms. Cyr noted that she felt the need to talk to the Rural Council’s Rally because the same types of abuses they put a stop to in Augusta Township, are occurring on a huge scale in the vast expanse of Rural Ottawa …such as those described by previous speaker, Tony Walker.

On April 11, 2005, the Augusta Township Council passed a resolution to add the preamble suggested by the Leeds & Grenville Landowners Association, (LGLA),to the Zoning bylaw and the Official Plan. The resolution

Councillor Pauline Cyr of, Augusta Township, has demonstrated exceptional leadership and desire to serve the public interest. The world needs more 'Pauline Cyrs'.

“Whereas an individual cannot re-designate or rezone the use of his/her private property without the written consent and approval of the municipality, it is a fundamental requirement that the municipality not rezone or designate the use and opportunities of private land without the landowner’s prior written approval and consent. This principal can only be abridged for the public good, with fair, just and timely compensation.”

Paulene explained that, prior to the successful vote of Council, over 300 residents of Augusta Township had signed a petition that was circulated by the LGLA, demanding that Council add the above preamble to the bylaw IMMEDIATELY.

By Council’s approval of the inclusion to the bylaw, protecting landowner rights, Augusta Council clearly demonstrated that it placed the public interest foremost, and not some self-serving interest to its own bureaucracy.

Hurrah to Augusta Township Council,
and bravo to Councillor Pauline Cyr!

"But," he adds, "being #1 has its responsibilities, because if Ottawa doesn't keep improving --to keep that position-- the only direction it can go, is down."

"This city has huge diversity of culture. Many ethnic groups, speaking in a variety of languages, call this home. Many urban residents go about their business without much awareness of how the large rural sector works and lives. And many farm business (employing more than 10,000 people and generating over $400 million in annual sales) operate within the municipality of Ottawa. The countryside, where they work, play, raise their children -- within the boundaries of Ottawa-- is their home, too.

So, why don't we all live-and-let-live? Let's all do what we're each best at, and not tell the other how

"Rural serfdom is unsustainable! ...It's not an option"

MacLaren, who is a farmer in West Carleton, serves on many agricultural committees, as well as being an Ottawa-resident representative of the rapidly growing “Rural Revolution”, which was started by the Lanark Landowner’s Association (LLA). Now, he and another 500 Ottawa residents are members of the LLA.

Mr. MacLaren attributes the rapid growth of the LLA, in no small part, to the city’s bungling of rural affairs and mismanagement of city finances and operations --on a massive scale.

In terms of the city’s management of rural affairs, Jack stated, “Urban councilors should never have been given the role of governing rural townships. The ensuing disaster was predictable.”

According to MacLaren -- with everyone present agreeing:

“The only way to establish effective rural representation and good rural government, is for us to govern ourselves”.

He closed with the not so far-fetched idea, in the light of the city’s treatment of rurals, “We must ‘Go Back To The Future’ and re-establish ‘CARLETON COUNTY’.”

He was the founder of "Hay West", which was helped western farmers last year with shipments of local hay, while the western provinces suffered from a severe drought.

On May 27th, Wyatt along with may other individuals and organizations --and with all-day support from Radio Station CFRA--- managed to raise $108,000 to supply the Ottawa Food Bank with local beef.

He closed with the modest comment that he only came up with the "idea". His "success was based on the work of a whole lot of people." He said that is why, "We have to work together,"  adding, "We need to look out for our farmers: 'No farmers, no food, no future'!"

(View press coverage of "Food Aid" day, May 27, 2005- CLICK HERE)

Eve Yantha, President of the Arnprior Regional Federation of Agriculture (ARFA)

While the President of ARFA, Eve Yantha, addressed her comments to, "all the supporters of the rural and farming community," she also made the point that she was also directing her remarks to, "Mayor Bob Chiarelli and Councillors of Ottawa." And, while the Mayor was conspicuously absent --for someone who professes having an interest in solving rural concerns-- three rural

Eve Yantha, President of the AFRA, does not like the negative impacts of amalgamation on rural life, but still sees Ottawa becoming a great community if City officials maturely treat rural residents as partners, with unique talents and abilities, and capable of making most of their own decisions.

Ms. Yantha explained that the, "Arnprior Federation covers a number of former townships, of...  Nepean, West Carleton, Fitzroy/Torbolton, Pakenham and McNab Township."

She added that, "We have a membership of almost 400 representing mainly farmers of many commodity groups, including, beef, dairy, pork, horses, deer/elk, etc. The issues we deal with are mostly farm issues but many issues cross almost all boundaries, and are dealt with by a democratic process, through resolution and vote by the membership nominated Board of Directors."

Eve said that it was her opinion that there are no real savings to be had with amalgamation: "Bigger is not Better!!"

She said that if the City had kept a consistent open dialogue with its rural components, answered letters addressed to the City politicians and staff more promptly, and held more meetings with all the stakeholders concerned, things might have worked more smoothly.

However, Yantha admits, "Since Amalgamation, I have kept a close eye on the happenings between the City and rural and farming community.  I also kept clippings with headlines that show much frustration on the part of these hardworking folks."  To read only "a few", she cited the following: "'Rural Voters have many complaints with merged city',  'Anger in the Back Forty', and of recent: 'Rural residents ill-served by city' and 'Farmers, city hall clash over selling roadside produce'."

She added that the new 'ward boundary issue' is, "of dire importance to everyone," as well. She exclaimed, "I cannot believe your Council would go ahead and vote for something that your guide, the OMB, would object to?  Explain that to me please, someone!"

Eva expressed that the many negative headlines give reason to ponder the problems rurals are being saddled with, by the City of Ottawa.  -- "Think about them!"

"What would your response be to an outsider, or newcomer, looking to locate here?

Farming is a 'Way of Life' that must be preserved.

Council must understand a saying, we all know, 'One size does not fit all'.”

"A solution to the many frustrations and problems building in these communities since Amalgamation can be remedied, if the City is up-front, willing to be flexible, willing to communicate openly, and address the concerns with respect, and expediency."

"You can by-law these folks to death, but, as you know, we farmers come from very strong willed, 'never give up,' backgrounds.  So be prepared to hear from us, often, loud and long to get our point across."

"If there is something that disturbs the rural way of life, or the 'right to farm' legislation, we will be at your door."

"I tend not to dwell on the negative, but look to past considerations given to O.F.A. by the City on The Agricultural Advisory Committee (now defunct), which had at least a hearing of the rural issues." Now that's gone.

"The farmers themselves, have been working on solutions to help us out of the devastating situation BSE has put us in. 

The O.F.A. worked with Wyatt McWilliams and the Ottawa Food Bank, with, CFRA and Rob Jellet’s help in a win win situation.   Congratulations.!

Our farmers in Fitzroy have formed a company to take the excess of cows to beef products to alleviate some of the overburden on the farmers. Congratulations."         

Eve Yantha finished her talk with, "We are mature people.  Maturity means, walking hand in hand, but not necessarily seeing eye to eye."

"We, together, can build an even greater City, if we work co-operatively."

Bruce Webster, resident of Richmond

Mr. Webster acknowledged the presence in the audience of the two rural Councillors, Glen Brooks and Doug Thompson, who had both provided busses so that Osgoode, Rideau and Goulbourn residents could attend. He thanked them. He also noted that the Goulbourn Councillor was asked if she would be kind enough to provide a bus --as she has with other groups in the past--- but that request resulted in a flat decline. Bruce added that, in fact, Goulbourn, for that matter, does not have ANY rural representation. If anything, the opposite is true, "The Councillor has had a history of sabotaging rural interests at every turn." He added, "Two classic examples of how Councillor Stavinga has worked against the public interest are: 1.) She fought the Village of Richmond all the way, by siding with the Mayor and a pipeline contractor/campaign supporter who pushed for a pressurized sewer line to go through the very middle of Richmond's shallow-well drinking water source. This violates every precept of 'source water protection', presenting a flagrant case of public endangerment and representing a serious breach of the public trust."

Richmond resident, Bruce Webster has worked with the Richmond Community Association, attempting to protect Richmond's drinking water supply from future, city-caused contamination. "The city is guilty of public endangerment and is in breach of  public trust," he states.

"The risky forcemain was not even built for the sake of saving money. What could have been done safely with an on-site treatment plant at Munster, for under $4 million, got illegally switched to the forcemain, at a Capital Cost in 2004, alone, of over $23 million. (There is still an additional $5.5 million in work remaining to complete the forcemain!) As one other Councillor has stated, 'Something really smells here, and it's not just the sewage'."

2.) "As reported by earlier speaker, Tony Walker of the Goulbourn Landowners Group, some fifty-or-so land owners are being treated very badly by the City of Ottawa, and Councillor Stavinga is actually working in a conflict situation against the interests of her ratepayers.

The city has invited the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to create new wetlands on private property (where there was not wetlands before). While Councillor Stavinga is the Councillor of Goulbourn, who is paid by the city to represent her ratepayers ---she, instead--- sits as Vice-Chair on the RVCA, appearing to be working solely for its interests, and sabotaging the ratepayers' interests at every turn. Meanwhile, she has not responded to almost all of the pleas for her assistance in the two months since this has been public. She secretly worked against the ratepayers' interests for more than two years, without disclosing to them what she was up to."

"So, if you ask me if we need MORE councillors at City Hall, I would say NOT like Goulbourn's: We need BETTER Councillors -- We need better REPRESENTATION!" "When you experience, from the rural perspective, such consistently wasteful and counter-productive activities by City Council, in the context of our rapidly diminishing "effective representation," it is patently clear why there is a 90% level of rural dissatisfaction (view survey results), and why Amalgamation is perceived to be an abysmal failure."

Ms. LeBlanc thanked the Rural Council of Ottawa Carleton "for putting on this important event."

We're here today because of what NDP Agricultural critic Charlie Angus has coined a "political walk away" from rural Canada. In the May 2nd edition of The Hill Times, Charlie writes that: 'For the last dozen or so years, farmers have been left on their own to compete and to cope in the face of increasingly growing international and domestic obstacles. Farmers have adapted. They've grown more efficient, and have moved towards increasing economies of scale. But the fact is, they've hit the wall and there just doesn't seem to be any political inclination on the part of the ruling Liberals to find a new way forward.'

I think Charlie is being optimistic: the political walk-away is more like a run, that's brought our farmers out of the fields and off the land to stand up and make their voices heard.

Mr. Broomfield began by noting that on the city web page regarding the rural summit Mayor Chiarelli stated that one of the purposes of the summit is: "to help promote greater understanding between Ottawa's rural and urban residents".

Broomfield commented, "I do not know whether this is posturing or a genuine lack of understanding by the mayor but ...for the most part I don’t think the problems arising from a rural perspective is due to a lack of understanding between the two groups of residents, both are basically trying to get on with their lives in their own environments:

"The problems of understanding are between Rural residents and the city politicians and staff."

THEFT OF PROPERTY RIGHTS:

West Carleton resident, Bob Broomfield, made many clear points on City's abuse of ratepayers' interests.

He said, "All of you have seen first hand the effects of runaway municipal bureaucracy, the un-checked hikes in your property taxes, the decline in services, the loss of representation in rural communities due to amalgamation and now with the proposed ward boundary changes you’ll see a further loss of identity as historical boundaries are eliminated and artificial ones are constructed by committee."

"…The simple fact is that all over Ontario the mega-cities that were created are failing and this story is repeated in Hamilton, Sudbury, Kawartha Lakes etc." he states. 

I believe that Premier McGuinty is probably a pretty reasonable guy. He knows that the cities are in a mess but he believes that because this isn’t an election issue then he can turn his attention elsewhere. Our job is to convince the Premier that municipal reform is one of the primary election issues in Ontario and failure to address it will result in devastation for the provincial Liberals at the polls in 2007.

So, here’s what I plan to do. I’ll be sending out thousands of these postcards to residents in Ottawa just after the next municipal budget. The front is pre-addressed to the Premier, no stamp required, and the back has a single sentence. 'Premier McGuinty, I need a binding referendum on de-amalgamation immediately or I can’t vote for your party'."

Mike concluded with, "After almost 5 years of observation we can conclude that the mega-cities are unmanageable. I really believe that our job is to help the Premier realize that municipal reform is a priority and with your help we can do that."