It is interesting that the same day that a letter regarding a ‘third way approach to the Hanlon Creek Business Park development, is sent to the Mayor, Council and Manager of Tourism and Economic development, this editorial, by members of the HCBP Occupation group, is published in the Guelph Mercury.
Members of the HCBP Occupation group will be on Royal City Rag this Saturday, October 3, from 8-9 a.m. to talk about their opposition to this development. It promises to be an interesting show. Don’t miss it!
Hanlon Creek Downstream In The Spring (Photo: Bob Gordon)
Business Park Lands Must Be Saved From Development
Guelph Mercury, September 30, 2009
Sam Ansleis and Matt Soltys
The Hanlon Creek Business Park occupation came from a long campaign to protect this land. Many of us are long-term Guelphites who have worked for years toward social justice and environmental protection. We are dedicated to healing this land and our human community, but there comes a time when we also have to stop destructive acts.
The HCBP is proposed for a 675-acre piece of land in the south end of the city. The City of Guelph is the primary developer, proposing 367 acres of buildings and parking lots, 69 acres of roads, and 74 acres of storm water management ponds. Of developable land, 85 per cent would be covered by impermeable surfaces. In the centre is what many regard as an old-growth forest, a sensitive native ecosystem containing some of Wellington County’s oldest trees. There are no confirmed tenants for the proposed business park
While differing on tactics, groups such as the Wilderness Committee, the Sierra Club, the Ontario Public Interest Research Group’s Speed River Project, Wellington Water Watchers, the Guelph Council of Canadians, and the Guelph Urban Forest Friends have also identified problems with the proposed business park. Downstream from Guelph, the Hoskanigetah of the Grand River, the traditional decision-making body from Six Nations, has allied with the occupiers against the proposed business park. It has ordered the city to “cease and desist the development,” due to risks to our shared watershed.
This land, like most of southern Ontario, is suffering from death by a thousand cuts. Eighty per cent of the wetlands in southern Ontario have been destroyed, and less than one per cent of old-growth forest remains. Individual developments are rationalized as having insignificant impacts, but taken together, sprawl is killing this land.
We occupied the site because the political system has failed us and is failing to protect the land. Guelph Mayor Karen Farbridge proclaims we have “ignored the democratic process.” But beyond providing abundant scientific evidence contradicting the city’s plan, we and others have attended every possible public meeting, written letters, met with city staff, the Grand River Conservation Authority, the Ministry of Natural Resources and local politicians, and had standing-room-only town hall debates – yet the city still wishes to bulldoze ahead. Occasionally these processes establish piecemeal improvements, yet the project itself is never up for debate. This enables politicians to tout their “public process,” while ignoring more fundamental concerns.
Ironically, the most significant improvements to the business park proposal occurred only because the city was forced twice into court. In 2006, the city was taken to the Ontario Municipal Board, which imposed 75 conditions, though only three have much environmental significance. The other 72 simply address traffic, costs, lighting, fences and such.
The second time was our work stoppage, where both us and the cty filed applications for injunctions. We exposed the ministry’s opposition to the business park due to faulty salamander surveys, and how the city ignored the ministry and tried forcing the project through.
So, when Farbridge says, “A handful of protestors have held the city hostage and ignored democratic processes,” we’re confused. Hundreds of people participated in the occupation, with untold more offering support. Of the 32 days work was stopped, 25 were the result of court orders and ministry deliberation. Did the courts and the Ministry of Natural RTesources also hold the city “hostage?”
The city constantly tells us the business park is a “done deal.” But if democracy is to have integrity, the process should be amenable to such large concerns, and nothing should ever be a “done deal” – especially when the land remains intact. A dump site in Simcoe County is just one example where council recently voted to cancel the project.
Many people begin activism with some faith in the system. Many more lose that faith after pouring too much of their lives into a system designed to fail us. What was interesting about the occupation was that many people came in support who aren’t at all “activists,” but were excited and moved by our actions. The occupation arose because we’re sick and tired of watching our planet literally fall apart while those in power pass responsibility back and forth, and we found we are far from alone. Business as usual has to end, climate scientists warn with increasing urgency. That land could host wildlife habitat, community gardens, urban farms, orchards, seed banks, and learning facilities – precisely the antidote to mounting challenges of climate change and peak oil. But if this City keeps holding onto an industrial park as a solution, then we’re in for serious trouble.
We need radical change in how we think, how we relate to each other and to the land, and how we live, and we can’t rely on anyone else for this. We need courage, honesty, love, empathy, and action. The occupation is a beginning of a more organized, empowered and urgent collective defence of this earth. You are more than welcome to join us.
Sam Ansleis and Matt Soltys were among the group that occupied the proposed site of the Hanlon Creek Business Park this summer. More writings by their group can be viewed at HCBPoccupation.wordpress.com.
Read Full Post »
![Rebick_TransPower[1]](https://royalcityrag.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/rebick_transpower1.jpg "Rebick_TransPower[1]")
Formerly Royal City Rag 
Hanlon Creek Business Park – The Issue That Won’t Go Away
Posted in Commentary, tagged City of Guelph, Hanlon Creek Business Park on June 23, 2010| 1 Comment »
Despite all the spin on the City of Guelph website, the business park we are going to get is clearly far less than what was originally envisaged.
If you don’t believe us, take a look at the 1996 South Guelph Secondary Plan.
Although the document contains a lot of interesting information, pay particular attention to 4.19.2.6 (scanned pages 16 and 17) where they discuss plans for the Corporate Business Parks on either side of the Hanlon Expressway.
Land West (and East) of the Hanlon Expressway which is designated “Corporate Business Park” has a high level of visibility from the Hanlon Expressway and close to the 401.
By virtue of its visual prominence, excellent access, proximity to Highway 401, and distinct natural setting, development of this area should occur in manner which establishes a park or campus like setting with extensive landscaping and a high standard of urban design.
Architectural detail, building massing, landscaping, and site design shall collectively result in establishing an attractive entrance or gateway feature for the City of Guelph in this location. Design and building control shall also be used to maintain senstitivity to nearby residential or natural areas. In this regard the City will prepare specific urban design guidelines to provide direction with respect to deisgn principles.
Land designated as “Corporate Business Park” shall be generally characterized by office and administrative facilities type development displaying appropriate design standards and sensitivity to natural settings and adjacent uses. The visual attractiveness and consistent gateway image is of prime importance. Pure manufacturing and retail uses shall not be permitted.
The bottom line is that plans can change a lot over the years especially in situations where economic and financial concerns are allowed to take precedence over protecting the environment and, also, in this case Guelph’s groundwater recharge area in the Hanlon Creek Watershed.
Take a look at the business park on the east side of the Hanlon Expressway next time you head down that way. Can you say “Warehousing”? Expect the Hanlon Creek Business Park to look very similar.
So much for the Gateway to Guelph!
View the South Guelph Secondary Plan
Business Park Violates Rules Of Good Planning
David Graham
Guelph Mercury June 19 2010
The whole spectacle is of little surprise though, as the city has been engaged in a morally declining path for many years. Long ago the city exceeded the boundaries of what can be considered sustainable. Every year the loss of land to the ever-expanding frontier further results in a loss to the ecological integrity of our region. The development of the business park is the final straw in these destructive policies. How can we stand to see this site paved over? These lands provide habitat for a plethora of species and are the site of provincially significant wetlands. This illustrates what wanton degradation of our landscape the city’s development plans support.
The loss of this land also represents a loss to the social fabric of our region. The local landscape, including rivers, soils, water, plants, and animals, contributes much to our sense of place. If there no longer exists significant geographic features beyond the infrastructure of the downtown core (which represents a fraction of the greater sprawling city), Guelph will further become indistinguishable from any other suburban city North America-wide. How can we cultivate a commitment in our children to our environment if we’ve left nothing of it?
The development of the park can be seen all the more as a travesty when considering how much underutilized land there exists for development within the current city limits. Higher density development, infill development, and the adaptive re-use of existing buildings would result in a more efficient utilization of our land resources. This is achievable if the city of Guelph would only impart a little creativity into their policy making.
The basic principles of smart growth, which include a commitment to biodiversity and green infrastructure, shall not be met under the current park development plans. While the official plan makes allowances for protected areas on the proposed site, ecological systems don’t acknowledge arbitrary boundaries and the inevitable fragmentation will render these sensitive lands void of any benefits.
The park plan is not the result of a democratic process, managed as an open and inclusive exercise of democratic governance. We must break from the established public paradigm and consult people from disparate backgrounds and positions, not just elected officials and city-hired professionals. Citizens deserved greater say.
David Graham, Guelph
Read Full Post »