|
June
6 , 2003
Fight
to save Red Hill Valley far from over
By
Eric McGuinness
The Hamilton Spectator
Scott
McNie says the fight to save Red Hill Valley will continue
even if the city starts building the Red Hill Creek Expressway
this summer.
He
says the struggle won't end before traffic starts moving
on the new road — an eventuality he believes can still
be prevented.
"Look
at the enormous forces we're up against.
"It's
possible they may be able to begin construction, but citizens
have to understand that's not the end of the world. We can
still turn it around in the next three years, before the
next civic election.
"The
important thing is that we do not have traffic moving in
the valley. Even if they cut half the trees before we stop
it, while that would be a terrible waste, we would still
have half a valley that hasn't been destroyed. We still
wouldn't have the harmful health effects of smog coming
from traffic moving through the valley."
Fresh
from collecting Hamilton's environmentalist of the year
award Wednesday night, McNie was on the doorstep of The
Hamilton Spectator yesterday with a small band of campaigners
spreading their save-the-valley message.
Similar
rallies are planned at local broadcast-news studios.
Participants
included Dundas bookstore owner Joanna Chapman and Hamilton
artist Bryce Kanbara.
McNie,
47, who founded Friends of Red Hill Valley in 1991, has
since put his skills as a teacher to work in a new organization,
the Red Hill Schoolhouse, which is trying to educate as
many people as possible about the "magical valley"
and the merits of preserving it.
"We're
hoping to spawn grassroots, coffee-shop-level debate about
what we're getting for $200 million when council has been
talking about closing wading pools and cutting nighttime
bus service. "The key to that in a modern society is
the media.
"That's
why we're going to media outlets this month.
"When
(CHML talk-show host) Roy Green or (morning-show duo) Bob
Bratina and Shiona Thompson are talking about it, that gives
permission to the average bloke to talk about it.
"They
don't have that permission now, because Mayor Bob Wade has
successfully generated the idea that it's over, it's dead,
but it's not.
"The
expressway can be stopped."
|
