CFN – Monday night was a delegation attend City Council. Twenty five or so citizens and activists who are upset with City Council’s actions in Beavergate to day in this city of 46,000 in Ontario. (PREVIOUS STORY)
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.
As everyone can see this Mayor and Council is riding roughshod over all of us! They are not listening to the citizens of Cornwall. When you can’t even speak to them that says it all. Let’s make sure we get their attention in the next election. CFN will remind us of all the nasty things at that time I’m sure.
Nurse Diane Shay also suffered the abuse of being silenced and ignored. By the way, the headline for this story makes it sound as though the anti-KILL-trap demonstrators “refused to speak” when in fact they were simply muzzled by turning a deaf ear. But I’m an optimist. Surely council is busy as beavers putting together a plan to rehabilitate its image and find a solution that’s win-win.
Shame on Cornwall City Mayor and council
The parks make Cornwall attractive and when these horrible things happen of killing animals and risks families and their pets as well and the mayor and council will not listen to them then this is not a place to live at all. I love animals and believe in their protection as well as the protection of children, plants, trees, etc. I love nature and so does my family. I am sickened over seeing all of this murdering of innocent creatures. The mayor and council are not fit at all to keep their jobs. Get rid of them in the next election. I will not put my feet in Guindon Park ever again after seeing this and it was a park we used to like to go.
where can we sign the petition?
Shame on ciity council…..they never listen to any of the citizens!!! Keep on killing!!!!!!
Shame on this administration, mayor and councillors for acting like twarts who pay no attentions to residential concerns. The WWF should be called in to publicize this animal injustice.
Way to go Cornwall City Council.
Maybe you should actually LISTEN to what Cornwall citizens want, instead of always doing what YOU want.
Clearly, people think you are doing a bad job, or we would not be protesting!
Children and pets go to that park! What would you do if a small child got hurt? Say they shouldn’t have been near the trap? When they are CLEARLY in sight & where children play. What if YOUR beloved family dog got off the leash and got his/her paw caught in the trap? Would you remove them then?
It’s time to THINK people.
Instead of being a stuck up SUIT, try and see it from the view of us, the protesters. We live here as well, Cornwall is ALWAYS saying that we need to get involve in the community. Well, WE ARE NOW & guess what, no one at city council wants to hear it!
Isn’t that just LOVELY!
People of Cornwall, Its time to make some changes!
Lets start with getting NEW council members!!
Clearly, they LOVE the power & don’t want to listen to the people who really matter!
Keep up the great work!
SAVE THE BEAVERS!
Did you petition FORMALLY 3 weeks in advance to BE on the agenda for the Council meeting AS REQUIRED ?
You barged into a Council meeting and YOU wonder why you were NOT heard ?
This is a VERY amateur way to go about this people !!!
I walk my dog occasionally in this area and not sure if anyone has noticed the large earth dyke that extends a kilometre or so from the generating station along the shore of this park?
This dyke holds the river back and keeps Cornwall high, dry and above river level.
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I did a little research and the road that runs at the base of this earthen dyke (dam) through the back of the park is an access/ inspection road and as the story said Inspections would be hampered if this road was flooded.
A serious problem of standing water created by a beaver dam can erode the bottom of this dyke and over time lead to dam failure. I am sure if you looked at an inundation map you will find very few areas in the city of Cornwall that would remain dry and survive.
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The Beaver is one of the most destructive creatures in nature….so let’s not forget about the animal habitat and forest that is lost when beavers flood large areas or the erosion of the earthen dyke (dam) and just vilify OPG and City of Cornwall for taking action to keep you all alive and dry.
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If you want to see the destructive power of a dam breach and just how fast it happens just search youtube there a few examples
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Beavers are just a nuissance, they are destructive and shouldnt be allowed in the parks,
I am embarassed for you to have published so many stories about this topic trying to make the city seem like that bad people. Your the bad person, for all those protesting do your reasearch and learn a bit.
Kill the beavers!
Imagine how Beavergate could have gone with a little leadership….
1) Council could have prevented escalation of the issue by simply acknowledging citizens’ concerns: “Yes people, we hear you.”
2) Council could have publicly shared information about the issue(s) related to the beaver population, and why trapping was historically deemed necessary.
3) Council could have sought or welcomed consultation about how the beaver issue has been resolved in many other Canadian municipalities that no longer employ the use of kill traps.
4) Council could have marketed this Happy Ending resulting in strengthening The Brand.
PS: To Nunya Buzzness: And you’re calling the protestors amateurs? From where I sit on the sidelines, they’re getting all the media “good” media attention.
The beavers could have been humanely trapped and moved to some other site. The dam could then be removed without loss of life. It seems that this city council have trouble thinking. Next election: you’re gone!
We did not barge into a council meeting. I submitted a formal request and it was denied. We simply entertained our right to attend the meeting. We were not disruptive. Even when we walked out we were silent save for one comment politely made to Mr. Kilger. Believe me, I have been doing the research and we have a solution. Why on earth would anyone want to kill another creature if it could be prevented at no cost to tax payers?
Well stated Ms. CrazyBeaver. And good for you for being brave.
I don’t bkame council for this. This has been happening for over 20 years. However, I do blame Denise Labelle – Gélinas ,
City Clerk, for denying the group the opportunity to address council. It isn’t right that an un-elected official can deny the citizens of Cornwall their right to democracy. Shame.
CrazyBeaverLady..Name says it all..enough said
2 sides 2 a story is also a good moniker. problem is, the city of cornwall is silent. people would like to know the city’s side of the story. enough said.