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.
- 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
- Write or email Hon. Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education
for the Province of Ontario responsible for the provincial
legislation that allows this.
- 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
- Phone, write or email our Mayor and Ward Councillors
at Burlington City Hall and urge them to champion this park
being saved
- Write or email the newspapers with your views - widespread
public awareness can make a big difference!
- 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:
- 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:
-
From Pharmacies to Parkland
Burlington Post Article (November 13, 2009)
-
Reporter has Info Overload
Burlington Post Article (November 6, 2009)
-
Brock Parkland to be Sold
Burlington Post Article (November 6, 2009)
-
School board urged to rethink sale of prime Halton greenspace
Burlington Post Article (October 30th, 2009)
-
City Hall challenged to preserve greenspace
Burlington Post Article (October 28, 2009)
-
Parkland Loss Classless
Toronto Sun Article (November 3, 2009)
-
More parks, fields less traffic, houses
Burlington Post Article (June 17, 2009)
-
'Green'
groups ask school board to hold off on surplus land sales
Burlington Post Article (June 5, 2009)
-
Parkland for sale - Greenspace group demands fair process
from school board
Burlington Post Article
-
Parkland Disappearing as Schools closed
Toronto Sun Article
-
Trustees' plan to sell sports field has Halton Hills mayor
'mad as hell'
Toronto Star Article
-
What's to Become of Brock Park?
Burlington Post article
-
Our Places to Play are being developed away
Toronto Sun Article
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...