CFN

We have ten councilors currently.   There is no ward system in Cornwall so representation isn’t an issue although it probably should.

Recently we have had Beavergate and the Bilingual nurse protest.  Both issues councilors sat on their hands.

We have Councilor Thibault busy chopping up and planning the waterfront with some developers and a few stooges on the Waterfront Committee.

Here we have a video regarding the committee allegedly trying to force Stephen Alexander, one of the most competent managers in Cornwall off of the Waterfront committee.  Watch Mr. Menard spin  :)  Libel chill from a committee member, many questions, not a lot of answers .  Interesting video if you care about Cornwall’s waterfront.

We have councilor Carr with his Heart of the City initiative.    HOC does some good in Cornwall, but surely some of the bluster about conflict of interest has some merit?  Should Mr. Carr have to make a decision about whether he wants to run Heart of the City or be on Council when Cornwall has a policy that does not allow city workers to be on Council?

Councilor Grant is busy leading many of the committees, but from there it spins downward with most councilors participating on many committees, but not really having much of an impact in moving the city forward.

As a matter of fact council at the moment is starting to go partisan with Conservative members smelling blood in the water of long former Liberal MP Bob Kilger who is fighting off scandal after scandal while sitting as mayor and dealing with health issues.

Murmurs at city hall of a putsch to land Councilor David “Mellow Yellow” Murphy into the mayor’s seat have many following Cornwall politics cringing.

Voting at council has shown this year to be done by bloc or clique; especially during the issues surrounding the CAO Paul Fitzpatrick and the alleged wrongful termination of HR manager Robert Menagh.

So the question is why have ten councilors?   If the city is going to be run as it’s been run this term of council why have more than two or three?

Where are the issues that councilors should be leading?  With Councilor O’Shaughnessy quitting in disgust; the gang bang of councilor Rivette who has been very quiet since his complaint has stood up after sitting for a video interview with CFN;  councilors MacDonald, Dupelle, and even Queen Bernadette Clement have been all but silent on issues impacting the city, are having that many councilors just dead wood and a waste of tax dollars?

Add in refusals of council to allow citizens to present to council and it seems a very shady version of Democracy being practiced in Cornwall Ontario…

What do these councilors stand for?

What do you think Cornwallites?  You can post your comments below.

(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)

]]> http://cornwallfreenews.com/2012/05/does-cornwall-ontario-need-ten-city-councilors-waterfront-subterfuge-editorial-by-jamie-gilcig-may-22-2012/feed/ 4 http://cornwallfreenews.com/2012/05/letter-to-the-editor-gerry-flaherty-of-cornwall-ontario-on-waterfront-development-may-21-2012/ http://cornwallfreenews.com/2012/05/letter-to-the-editor-gerry-flaherty-of-cornwall-ontario-on-waterfront-development-may-21-2012/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 22:43:54 +0000 admin http://cornwallfreenews.com/?p=36791 Dear Sir,

.

Any condo or commercial building on the parking lot east of Civic Complex/Aquatic Centre would ruin the view from the former Si Miller arena property, and lessen it’s market value.  The City is trying to sell this site today.

.

The arena site rises up as it rolls northward to First St. E.  In the middle of the site, the view to the south is striking.

.

It looks directly onto the parking lot in question with the river and treed Cornwall Island in the background.  In the foreground, the beige curling club is almost hidden by trees, and big trees stand in front of the Civic Complex.   To the east, lots of Legion Park green space is visible behind the French monument.  The slanted glass walls of the Aquatic Centre just sparkle in the sunshine,  and a large bed of bright yellow flowers enhances the United Way thermometer.

.
Imagine the southern view from a spiffy 10-12 storey condo on the arena site! Residents on the east and west sides of this tower would have green space and river views too.

.

The city’s pro-development waterfront committee is preparing for June public meetings regarding their plan, which is the second nutty thing they have done in two years.  At their first meeting, they halted a $30,000 redesign of the most easterly portion of Lamoureux Park located just east of the marina.

.
The redesign to make the park’s fabulous river views more accessible by car has been in the planning for years.  To this end,  five mature trees from a downtown construction site were relocated here at city expense. Our old committee called this park Lookout Point or Pointe

.

Maligne Lookout and felt it could become a tourist attraction with terrific views even on winter days.   (Pointe Maligne was the name for the Cornwall region from 1600 to 1825 and it appeared on river charts and tickets issued by Montreal shipping firms.)   Win or lose their parking lot project, you can be sure the current waterfront committee members who never saw a blade of grass they liked will want to chop those five trees down and build private condos at Lookout Point!

.
Gerry Flaherty - Cornwall

(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)

CFN

.

The reason I say this is that there is nothing more exciting to watch than citizens gathering and expressing a need to be heard, no matter what the issue. This collective power is known as the spirit of unity. Unity is the spiritual characteristic that is essential in order to create a better world.

.

Is it possible that one of the reasons that citizens do not vote is that our political system is based on a divisive model and uses force to achieve its aims? Unification and divisiveness are opposing forces. If we want to create the Cornwall and S D and G that we envision we will have to consider how to organize in a unifying manner and use our power for the collective good. Beavergate was an excellent example of the use of the power of unity in order to protect an ecosystem.

For the past 25 years, or longer, the City of Cornwall has trapped beaver populations in Guindon Park. Five years ago one citizen, Wyatt Walsh, started complaining about this practice. This year the City hired a trapper who set several Conibears, or body gripping traps with the mission to kill a family beavers that had taken up residence in the park. The City succeeded in its mission.

Several weeks ago the issue hit the headlines of CFN and became a matter of interest to several people and one in particular took the lead in order to get a resolution to the problem. This woman’s name is Rebecca Sorrel. I met her on Facebook through the Cornwall, Ontario page and became her friend. I tracked the story and took a personal interest because of my love for animals in general and my concern for the human impacts on the environment in particular.

.

We are re-engineering the area and it concerns me that there does not seem to be a comprehensive vision what we want to end up with. When our great-great- grandchildren are born. what will they be looking at in terms of their environment: concrete or green spaces?

Rebecca has such a vision which she shared with me  in a social setting. I got the distinct impression that I was speaking to a woman of great capacity who is shaping up to be a community leader on a mission. The virtue that stands out the most powerfully from Rebecca is her humility. She told me over and over again that she is a nobody! Isn’t that incredible? How many of us would introduce ourselves and tell the other person that we are a nobody?

.

She then proceeded to tell me that the only reason she stood up for the beavers was that she wanted to be the mother her daughter Calysta thought she was. I thought that this motivation is a sign of an extraordinary individual because Rebecca knows that Calysta is already a very powerful woman. She does not look at her as a child. After all we are raising adults, not children.

Rebecca is using a powerful spiritual principle in her maternal role. She begins with the end in mind. She has a vision and so she works backwards to make sure that the vision is realized. As a result, when Calysta is an adult she will be telling the world that she did all these great things because she had a mother who showed her the way. That is such a wonderful affirmation of the power of love, dedication and truthfulness – so much more powerful than the opposing ideology which rules through force, aggression, oppression and other destructive means. We need to bring balance into this world.

Here’s a song dedicated to the citizens who support Beavergate from Tina Turner, a Canadian icon and woman of substance:

You can reach me at spiritmatters9@gmail.com

 Shirley Barr lives and works in Cornwall Ontario since May 2010 and is a member of the Baha’i community.

(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)

CFN

There’s a hitch though.  I’m stopped.

I’m told that I can’t separate my role as activist or journalist.

I offer to not use my camera, ME2, and just sit in and participate but I’m told that OPG will walk if I’m present.

What a lot of people forget when working in groups is to check their ego.   I saw the look in Rebecca Sorrell’s eyes and without any fuss or muss step down.   I end up waiting nearly two hours for the meeting to end.

It gives me time to make some calls and work on some notes for the follow up to Beavergate.  It’s been inspiring to work together as a team.  It’s been inspiring to combat stubbornness and ignorance without being overly emotional about it.

Since my first story April 25th a lot of neat things have happened.  Yes, it’s important to save the beavers in Guindon Park, but this is also a metaphor about getting elected officials and those that work on behalf of the public to listen to we the public.    It’s about the process and holding people accountable.   It doesn’t always have to be an us or them fight.

Cornwall Politicians have failed big time when it comes to listening and responding to the public in a meaningful way.   There’s been a mean spiritedness in how Beavergate has been handled.

As positive these first few strands of light are, and the meeting did show some huge strands of light, the bottom line is that the only reason this meeting took place is because of internal and external public pressures.

Yesterday the Standard Free Holder came out with a story on Beavergate.   It was written by Cheryl Brink.   I’m not sure which journalism school she went to, but the Free Holder last I looked was a Broadsheet newspaper.   I personally practice Gonzo Journalism.

WIKI:

Gonzo journalismis a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative. The word “gonzo” is believed to be first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S. Thompson, who later popularized the style. The term has since been applied to other subjective artistic endeavors.

Gonzo journalism tends to favor style over fact to achieve accuracy—if accuracy is in fact meant to be achieved at all—and often uses personal experiences and emotions to provide context for the topic or event being covered. It disregards the “polished”, edited product favored by newspaper media and strives for a more gritty, personable approach—the personality of a piece is just as important as the event the piece is on. Use of quotations, sarcasm,humor, exaggeration, and profanity is common.

Among the forefathers of the new journalism movement, Thompson said in the February 15th, 1973 issue of Rolling Stone, “If I’d written the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people—including me—would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism.”^[

That being said it’s very very important to have facts in a story and even to occasionally fact check.

Ms Brink wrote in her blog:

A group of a dozen or more protesters hit up city hall this week, despite not making it onto the evening’s agenda. The Save the Beaver petitioners brought signs and homemade t-shirts, hoping to make a plea for the end to trapping of the country’s national animal in Guindon Park. When they realized they wouldn’t be invited to speak, they left in a rather noisy fashion. “I’ll see you next council, Mr. Kilger,” said Rebecca Sorrell, the unofficial leader of the group, and the petition’s author.

.
Personally, I don’t think they’re going to get too far. Trapping for the purpose of population control has been going for more than two decades with very little controversy; the beavers are still around but the roads haven’t flooded. The city has little motivation to make changes … plus a couple of traps were stolen from the park this year, which I’m sure will do the opposite of helping this group’s cause.

As this video of part of the protesters entering council shows there are well over a dozen.  Why lower the number? Why leave out the facts?  Why leave out how Beavergate started?   Why slur the group by suggesting that somehow they were behind traps being allegedly stolen from Guindon park?

A quick telephone call to the police would have given Ms Brink the police report filed April 26, 2012 numbered CW12005380 in which the Trapper, Mr. Quinn, complained of one trap, valued at $33 being stolen from near its location near the Forest Washrooms.

Why would there be a trap near the washrooms next to the RC track where kids play?

When I started Beavergate after hearing about the plight of Guindon Park from Mr. Wyatt Walsh my first home work was talking to experts; scientists, biologists, and gaining the facts of this situation.   Could not Ms. Brink.   Ms Sorrell and her group didn’t start until after the 26th.  Why slur them, even loosely in her story?    As well I spoke to Mr. Pat Quinn the trapper who said four traps were stolen and that complained that we media were a big part of the problem and hung up on me.

My request for a 90 day moratorium was met by the trap being moved to the beaver lodge – clearly showing a lack of good faith or willingness to dialog.

Was it because Council and the CAO have a hard on for CFN?  I don’t know.  I do know it was unnecessary.

After the meeting I again; for the third time emailed Mayor Kilger, the CAO, Council and management requesting an immediate 90 day moratorium of trapping in Guindon Park.

I hope this time it’s met with the reality that we as a city have a huge opportunity.     Lesley Fox of  The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals has clearly offered to send at their cost a team to deal with the issues of Beaver Control in Guindon Park.

Not only will this ultimately save the city dollars.  It will help Guindon Park become an even better attraction.  They also will be training city staff at no cost and some volunteers who are excited about the opportunity as this service, which is evolving very quickly can be costly and is a growing area of jobs as there’s an acute shortage of people that can provide these services.

So as you can clearly see this is a huge opportunity for we citizens of Cornwall Ontario.  It’s truly a win win situation for all involved if they embrace it.

OPG left the meeting first last night.   Since that first phone call to me where they basically lied they’ve been a dark shadow on this process.   I hope Ms Haliday’s employers in Toronto realize that there are always options to better the environment and respect your neighbors.

As for Ms. Brink’s comment above:

Trapping for the purpose of population control has been going for more than two decades with very little controversy

It’s our job in the media to help bring issues to light.  If we in the media don’t bring concerns to our pages how ever will an issue become controversial enough to bring pressure on our elected officials to respond?

And to end this piece is a video we shot with Rebecca Sorrell, her wonderful dog Ridley who hopes to play safely in the future in Guindon Park and Mr. Wyatt Walsh who expertly reputed OPG’s Engineers report to kick off the meeting.

Ms Sorrell is not going to let her tootsie off of the gas pedal.   Her petition continues online and in stores like Island Ink Jet (3rd street and Pitt across from the Royal Bank) and she still hopes to present to council with her supporters at the next meeting.

You can post your comments below.

UPDATE 9:17 AM

We just received word from Mr. Stephen Alexander, General Manager Planning, Parks, and Recreation Services from Cornwall Ontario

There was an e mail last night asking for consideration of a 90 day moratorium on traps in the park. 

 In fact,  following the meeting,  staff determined , and put into action  steps to remove the only trap that was remaining in the park while we are considering if any other approaches can achieve the objectives of protecting the park infrastructure etc.  for park users. 

To my understanding,  from information this morning,   by the time you get this e mail it may have in fact been removed,  together with the signs. 

I personally want to thank Mr. Alexander for this amazing gesture and step forward by the City Management of  Cornwall Ontario!

CFN

It’s a bit poetic as Mr. Brownell is a former teacher himself before becoming a MPP; something that he truly loved doing before retiring before the last election due to health issues.

I spoke with him recently and I could still see his love of politics as he spoke of  the current political situation in Ontario.

Mr. Brownell’s shoes were difficult to fill and the seat changed hands with new MPP Jim McDonell taking over for the Tim Hudak led Progressive Conservatives.

From St. Lawrence College:

.

The college is among the numerous institutions and groups that have benefitted from Brownell’s service. He lobbied on behalf of the college during his years as Member of Provincial Parliament for Stormont-Dundas-Charlottenburgh, helping to secure $5 million for renovations to the campus. Those renovations, completed in 2011, have transformed the college into a modern, aesthetically pleasing campus.

May 19th marks the one year anniversary of Mr. Brownell’s Private members bill that passed to honour the British Home Children; one of the high points of his political career.

From Mr. Brownell exclusive to CFN:

“I am truly honoured and humbled by this award. It was always my pleasure to encourage and see my former students walk across the stage at St. Lawrence College to receive well-earned diplomas. I am humbled to think that this award is based on my community involvement, although this is something that I encouraged in my classroom.”

To read more about the Honourary  Diplomas bestowed visit the SLC web page.

CFN

At issue is the Conibear Kill trapping in a city owned nature trail; Guindon park.  When a 90 day moratorium on Kill Trapping was requested the city moved a trap to the Beaver lodge all but wiping out the family just about the time that CAO Paul Fitzpatrick returned from Sick Leave.    Some are stating that it’s his heavy handed punitive style that gave the order to move the Conibear KILL TRAP to the beaver’s lodge.  One insider even mocking that the CAO was the city expert on beaver….

The City also refused to allow Rebecca Sorrell and her protesters to speak before council.    A group from BC( The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals)  offered at their own expense to educate and implement options besides kill trapping which the city as of this writing as refused to even consider never mind accept.

Protesters attend Council

With over 1,000 signatures and comments in a little over a week it’s almost as boggling as having a City Councilor sit on an Conservation Authority’s board of directors and say nothing as Councilor Bernadette Clement has.   The St. Lawrence River Institute for Environmental Sciences has still to comment to CFN about her continuing on their board in light of Beavergate.

Further irony is that Dr. Brian Hickey spoke with CFN while we researched our earlier stories!

Rebecca Sorrell and Supporters Speak Out!

Ms Sorrell has her petition online and in stores that will carry it in the area.   She’s to attend a meeting with some government officials and OPG on Wednesday, but the silence of Council Monday night really struck a nerve.

Cornwall Ontario Council seems to refuse to allow delegations to present at council with contentious issues.    The standard operating procedure seems to be to smile and ignore an issue until it goes away while secretly moving behind the scenes….not very transparent or accountable.   Surely the people of Cornwall Ontario deserve better?

You can post your comments below and we’ll be updating the story as more information becomes available.

EQUALITY FOR ALL

_________________________________

WHEN:  MAY 26 SATURDAY 1 PM

WHERE:  CORNWALL COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

WHY:  ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN
DISADVANTAGED BY “LANGUAGE”
DISCRIMINATORY HIRING PRACTICES
NEEDS TO ATTEND.

DO IT FOR YOURSELF, YOUR KIDS,

YOUR GRANDKIDS….JUST DO IT!!!!!!!

Cornwall Ontario Nurse Christopher Cameron and his group are organizing another protest for Saturday May 26 in front of the Cornwall Community Hospital.

Mr. Cameron is also presenting his petition of over 3,000 signatures to MPP Jim McDonell at his Second Street Wednesday May 23, 2012 with the hopes of the MPP bringing it to Queen’s Park to initiate a Provincial investigation to the way that the Cornwall Community Hospital is employing nurses and front line staff based on Linguistic requirements instead of qualifications.

He has pointed out to competition that has seen nurses promoted or hired and then sent for training rather than nurses given language training.

A core of the protest also lies in the fact that the hospital checks for English qualifications on site, but forces French Language testing via an outside agency with what protesters have described as artificially high standards which are precluding many from advancement in their positions.

CCH Honcho Helene Periard explaining hiring policy in video above.

What do you think Cornwallites?  You can post your comments below.

CFN

Not a single one of the band images like the one above has mention of any of the other sponsors of Lift Off.

The Lift Off team have doubled the cost of a walk up weekend pass for the event, from $30 last year to $60 in 2012.   Early bird and single day prices are in effect, but higher than 2011 as well.

Michael Galvin, Cornwall Kinsmen President and Media guy for Lift Off announced they were hoping for 30,000 in attendance for the event which would raise well over $500,000 for 2013 Lift Off.

The new board was introduced with many new faces during the festivities that drew about 100 people.

For an area that is focusing so much on Arts and Culture Lift Off could and should be an opportunity to really amp up the local music scene, but Rob Seguin, Music Director for Lift Off and Program Director for the Local Corus stations still has a handful of local bands opening with no local second stage.    We have been told that local bands are still only being given free tix for the event and not being paid which also if true doesn’t make any sense.

Again, the good news is that Lift Off has survived another year.     Hopefully saner minds prevail and that Lift Off somehow ends up being run by the city or new sponsors are brought in that aren’t so in the pocket and kow towing to one media outlet.

And the local acts are:

Thursday July 12th

Playing with Diana

Arcane Belief

Friday July 13

The Shiners

Switchgear

Saturday the 14th

Tyler Kealey

Elly May

Glad to see some of the local bands getting some love, but geez Lift Off guys; throw these artists some coin.  It costs a ton to develop into the kind of artists that pull down what Rob Seguin gave to one management company for Lift Off!

Special thanks to Jamie Carr, talented morning man on CJSS who seems to have given this scribbler a special welcome to kick off Lift Off!

With Bluesfest in Ottawa, the Montreal Jazzfest and the myriad and multitude of artists on tour this summer it’s sad to see how this event is being handled.

.

Again; we can only hope for a good house cleaning and progress next year as the people of Cornwall deserve better.   Jacking up ticket prices while pumping dollars into the local Corus radio properties isn’t going to ring well in a community suffering from massive job losses and a suffering local business community.

.

Lift Off was a respite in the summer looked forward to by hundreds of families who now may only be able to listen in the distance instead of being able to afford bringing their families to Lamoureux Park on a hot summer weekend.

What do you think Cornwall?  You can post your comments below!

]]> http://cornwallfreenews.com/2012/05/2012-cornwall-kinsmen-lift-off-doubles-ticket-prices-as-line-up-officially-announced/feed/ 9 http://cornwallfreenews.com/2012/05/mohawk-council-of-akwesasne-responds-to-seaway-international-bridge-corporations-decision-to-relocate-tollbooth-plaza/ http://cornwallfreenews.com/2012/05/mohawk-council-of-akwesasne-responds-to-seaway-international-bridge-corporations-decision-to-relocate-tollbooth-plaza/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 17:59:17 +0000 admin http://cornwallfreenews.com/?p=36497 CFN – The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne issued the following statement today in response to the Seaway International Bridge Corporation’s (SIBC) decision to relocate the tollbooth plaza to the north end of the new low-level bridge that is being constructed for the Three Nations International Bridge Crossing:

The Mohawk Council is opposed to the Seaway International Bridge Corporation’s decision to relocate the tollbooth plaza to the City of Cornwall. The SIBC did not give any consideration to the difficulty that it will pose to the trade and commerce, as well as the recreational and community activities that Akwesasne and Cornwall currently enjoy.

According to MCA Grand Chief Mike Kanetakeron Mitchell, “We have already received complaints from the business community and have heard concerns that the location of the existing tollbooth has created challenges for the delivery of goods and services. The complaint is from Canadian-based vendors that have to pay a toll to access portions of Akwesasne that are also located in Canada. The toll has also been an inconvenience for spectators and has hurt attendance at games being held at the A’nowarako:wa Arena on Cornwall Island.”

The international border bisects Akwesasne and there is limited access to its northern districts of Kanatakon, Kawehnoke, and Tsi Snaihne. The only way for spectators to attend a sporting event at the A’nowarako:wa Arena or for vendors or customers to access the Peace Tree Mall on Kawehnoke is to utilize the international bridge crossing. They are still in Canada and shouldn’t be charged a toll.

The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne also questions the need for a toll after the low-level bridge is completed. It is designed to replace the existing high-level bridge that has been costly to maintain. The new bridge is shorter and will require very little servicing, which eliminates the need for a toll to offset its ongoing maintenance.

Another point the MCA will raise with the SIBC is that they service two bridges that connect Cornwall Island. If a toll is required, it should be located on the U.S. side of the bridge or the south shore of Cornwall Island, which would make it easier for Cornwall and Akwesasne to enjoy direct business relations.

The Mohawk Council stated that the SIBC’s decision to keep the tollbooth in Cornwall doesn’t make good business sense and is shortsighted. It threatens the strong relationship that our community and Cornwall have established and pushes Akwesasne further away from Canada.

The Grand Chief added, “Not only is the Canadian Border Services Agency cutting off Akwesasne from Canada, we now have the SIBC doing the same.  It will force Akwesasne to focus on our relationship with our U.S. neighbors and do more business with U.S.-based service providers.”

The MCA will press the SIBC to reconsider its decision and remains committed to finding mutually beneficial solutions to Akwesasne’s concerns.

Mayor Bob Kilger of Cornwall had the following to say in a release:

“I believe that there should be no toll at all on the new bridge connecting Cornwall to Akwesasne,” said Mayor Bob Kilger. “It is a position that I believe is widely held in the local business community and around the Council table, and City Council will be considering a motion addressing this issue Monday night.”

CFN

Beaver Lodge in Guindon Park

With 500 acres it seemed preposterous to cull a family of 5 beavers that were living in the lodge, but after our request and story, the traps were moved to the mouth of the lodge wiping out the remaining beavers.   As of last week there were two noticed, but it’s been over a week since any activity has been seen.

Young Snapping Turtles Frolic in Beaver Pond in Guindon Park

Council has sat silently by allowing this beaver family to be wiped out.

Only one councilor was willing to try and help, but he was soon overwhelmed by the rest of council and city management who seemed determined to wipe out the beavers to “assist” OPG with their request for Beaver Control as it’s close to, oddly enough, one of the largest man made dams in the world!

.

The good news, hopefully for the future, is that Lesley Fox, the Executive Director of Furbearerdefenders.com read our story on CFN and has sent an open letter to City Council here in Cornwall.

OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF CORNWALL RE: BEAVER TRAPPING IN GUINDON PARK

Dear Mayor Kilger and Council,

We have recently learned the City of Cornwall is using traps to kill wildlife, namely beavers in Guindon Park.

Not only are leg-hold, Conibear and snare traps cruel, they pose an immediate danger to non-target wildlife, pets and even children. Furthermore, trapping does nothing to solve your problem. Quite simply, you can kill as many beavers as you want, but in a short time, more animals will return to fill the open niche. Unless you secure the habitat/food source, you will always have a beaver problem.

.

At the request of our members living in Cornwall, we would like to help you adopt a non-lethal approach to managing wildlife. We have experience installing alternatives such as the Beaver Deceiver, pond levellers and Beaver Bafflers. We would be more than happy to meet with your staff to evaluate sites where you are having a problem with beaver activity. We could also install these devices at NO COST to you.

.

In addition to providing you with FREE solutions to manage your ’nuisance’ wildlife, we would also like to encourage the City of Cornwall to adopt a bylaw to prohibit the use of the leg-hold, Conibear and snare trap (all body-gripping traps).

. 

For your review, I have attached 3 documents: 

• Working With Beavers – how to build non-lethal alternatives
• An example of a municipal trapping bylaw (Guelph, ON)
• Examples of non-target animals/children that have been killed or injured by traps 

In addition to these documents, I am more than happy to discuss with you at length the available non-lethal alternatives to trapping, and the cost saving benefits from these devices.

.

In summary, our objective is to:

1) Assist Cornwall in implementing non-lethal options for wildlife control  

2) Encourage Cornwall to prohibit the use of bodygripping traps (specifically leghold, Conibear and snare traps)

If you are curious to see how leghold, Conibear and snare traps work, we encourage you to view our video “Crying Shame”. The video footage was given to us by a licensed trapper and was taken during trapping season. (Contains graphic footage).  

.

Will the City of Cornwall take us up on our offer to help install alternatives to lethal trapping? Also, in the interest of public safety, will the city of Cornwall ban the use of body-gripping traps? 

.

I am more than happy to answer and questions you may have about this issue, you can reach me directly at: 604-435-1850. I will be following up with each of you regarding this issue in the coming weeks. 

.

Thank you for your consideration .   

Lesley Fox

Executive Director

The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals

215-3989 Henning Dr.

Burnaby, BC  V5C 6P8

Tel:  604-435-1850

Cell: 778-892-5369

www.furbearerdefenders.com

You can also follow us at:

www.facebook.com/furfree

www.twitter.com/furbearers

In the meanwhile Rebecca Sorrell will continue to don her Rubber boots and keep bring her daughter to Guindon park to learn some of the mysteries of nature.  She’s now taken her online petition to print with many local stores jumping on board, and is hoping to galvanize support at Monday night’s Council meeting.   She’s encouraging anyone that cares about this subject to attend.    She’s also applied to present to council, but there was no reply as of this print date.

The question I asked Rebecca and am hearing from more people is whether someone should be held accountable at City Hall for this travesty against nature?  The loud answers for the most part are yes.

It’s also extremely embarrassing to have Councilor Bernadette Clement sit in silence on this issue while being on the board of the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Science.   While the councilor may apparently not know better, the trained scientists that she has access to probably do.   I would hope that they have the courage to ask her to step down immediately if  does not have the sense to do so on her own.

First Beavergate Story LINK

Second Beavergate Story LINK

You can post your comment below and to sign Rebecca’s petition online CLICK HERE.