GENERAL BROCK PARKLAND AT RISK! TIME IS RUNNING OUT!

We have learned that eight school closures in Halton will result in the loss of valued green space, INCLUDING THE PARKLANDS AT GENERAL BROCK.  To date, 10 schools have been closed in this city, resulting in a loss of an estimated 86% of the original lands to development.

With increasing intensification pressures, it is essential that we preserve our remaining "pockets of green" within the city. Once they are gone that is it. They are gone forever.

There has been a lot of media coverage lately about the issue of parkland loss with school closures throughout the province, highlighting the bleak picture in Halton. Click on the links below for more about this and the 26 acre General Brock Park - the largest school property to be at risk in the history of Burlington!

Our Save General Brock Parkland volunteer Committee has remained focused on this priority for 6 years and in recent years broadened our efforts to support parkland at risk throughout Halton and Ontario by collaborating and partnering with other municipal grassroot groups.

Our team sent a letter to Education Minister, Kathleen Wynne in an effort to get school disposition legislation changed so that places like General Brock are preserved and not sold off to developers.  Click here to read letter

Please take a few moments to act on one or more or ALL of the following requests. Together, we can do this. Lets make change for the better happen here in Burlington!

Note: contact information and sample letters are further below.

  1. Email Ken Woodruff, the Save General Brock Parkland Committee Chair, to offer your help or to come to our meetings (new members welcome.) saveourparks@cogeco.ca 

  2. Write or email Hon. Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education for the Province of Ontario responsible for the provincial legislation that allows this.

  3. Phone, write, or email the Halton District School Board trustees who voted behind closed doors to sell this "surplus" school land and other "surplus" school lands across Halton

  4. Phone, write or email our Mayor and Ward Councillors at Burlington City Hall and urge them to champion this park being saved

  5. Write or email the newspapers with your views - widespread public awareness can make a big difference!

  6. Donate to the Save General Brock Park Committee to help us sustain our awareness initiatives - cheques payable to:

    "Save Today's & Tomorrows Outdoor Parkland"
    c/o Diane Peters, 244 Penn Drive, Burlington, L7N 2B8

    or online:


  7. Pass our website address along to others to harness more support for this important issue.

Minister of Education: Hon. Kathleen Wynne
and please cc: your email to the Premier of Ontario, all school board trustees, Burlington Mayor & Councillors, MPP Joyce Savoline & SGBPC Chair Ken Woodruff listed below.

Premier Danton McGuinty

Halton Public School Board Trustees:
and please cc: your email to HDSB Director Wayne Joudrie director@hdsb.ca and SGBPC Chair kenwoodrfuff@cogeco.ca

City of Burlington Mayor and Councillors:

Media contacts:

Some recent issue articles:

Here are a few sample letter(s) for ideas but of course your own thoughts and words are even better:

Hon. Kathleen Wynne,

As a citizen of Ontario who cares about the preservation of community parkland for the benefit of the environment and people of Ontario, now and into the future, I am asking you to change your government's school disposition legislation to afford municipalities the opportunity to hold onto school parklands that taxpayers have already funded once...
Halton District School Board Trustee,
*exception of Trustee Peggy Russell and Trustee Ockenden who did not vote in support of school dispositions. All other Trustees voted in support of their disposition.

As a citizen of Burlington who supports the HDSB through my tax dollar support, I am extremely disappointed to learn that you voted in support of the disposition of the General Brock parklands and other valued school parklands in Halton. I am also concerned that you chose not to meet with the Save General Brock Parklands Community group to explore options that could realize a solution with benefits to all....
Mayor Cam Jackson and members of Council,

As a tax paying citizen of Burlington, I value the preservation of all parkland in this City regardless of whether it is municipally "owned" or school board "owned". Burlington greenspace is extremely important to citizens of all ages and serves an invaluable role in supporting healthy lifestyles, a quality of life for all generations and contributes to a sustainable environment. I request that you demonstrate leadership and vision by championing this issue on behalf of the citizens of Burlington. Calling for legislative change to the school disposition process is one way that you can do this...
We must find a way to preserve the General Brock land, if not for ourselves then for our future children and grandchildren.

"We must find a way to preserve the General Brock land, if not for ourselves then for our future children and grandchildren."

(public opinions page)