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Aug
5, 2003
PICKETING BEGINS — CONSTRUCTION CREWS A NO-SHOW
Over
100 friends of the valley were present by 7 am this morning
at the site on Greenhill Avenue where the City had said
construction would begin today. They established picket
lines at both entrances to the area. Shortly after 7 am,
CH television reporters were in contact with a spokesperson
for the City. The City representative apparently said that
no construction activity was planned for today, and that
no fencing would be put up today, and that the only activity
would be some surveying work. As of 8:15 am no one had arrived
from Dufferin Construction.
The
City spokesperson also told CH that a City Council meeting
is taking place this morning starting at 9:30 am and will
be addressed by Chris Murray, Acting Director of the expressway
project. The Showstoppers are continuing their picket activity
throughout the day and welcome any one who would like to
come out and join them for a shift. Pickets are located
at Greenhill and Harrisford (one block west of Mt. Albion)
and at the western end of Albright Road (two blocks west
of Mt. Albion).
PICKETING
CONTINUES
As
noted in the earlier update, over 100 Showstoppers were
present before 7 am this morning at the site on Greenhill
Avenue where the City had said construction would begin
today. No construction crews showed up at the site, but
there were two visits from employees of Dufferin Construction.
In
the first visit, Dufferin employees presenting themselves
as surveyors were allowed to enter the valley. During this
entry, the driver of one of the trucks hit a person on the
picket line. Fortunately the individual was not seriously
injured. However, a report was filed with the Hamilton police
by the Showstoppers. Later in the day, the City’s Red
Hill Project Manager, Chris Murray, was quoted as saying
that the picketer had ‘walked into a parked car’.
The
Dufferin employees who came later in the morning brought
fencing material with them. Picketers did not allow this
material to enter the site, and the Dufferin crew left the
area.
A
meeting of City Council was also held today, and a report
from the Red Hill Project Manager was added to the agenda
at the last minute. This report argued that protesters constitute
a very serious threat to the City and its interests. It
appears to have been presented to try and justify the threatening
letter issued by the City last week. In response, Councillor
McCarthy moved a motion to hold a referendum on the expressway
project. This was supported by Councillors Horwath and Braden,
but voted down by the other members of Council. Councillor
Horwath raised concerns about the lack of consultation with
people in the Greenhill neighbourhood, the majority of whom
were first notified about the construction on August 1.
Councillor
Braden focused his questions on the threatening letter issued
by the City last Thursday. Through repeated questions, he
was able to uncover that the letter was not written by the
acting City solicitor who signed it. Instead, it was admitted
that the letter was written by “outside legal counsel”.
It was also revealed that the letter was approved by a staff
committee of five individuals, two of whom were on holidays
last week. The three remaining staff members who apparently
approved sending the letter were the Project Manager Chris
Murray, the acting City solicitor Elaine Holt, and the City
manager Bob Robertson. Staff were unable to explain how
they selected the recipients. Councillor Braden strongly
denounced the letter as shameful.
Councillor
DiIanni criticized Braden and defended the letter. Two other
councillors (Jackson and Bain) spoke in favour of the expressway.
No one else spoke against the threatening letter so we can
safely conclude that the majority of City Council supports
this letter. Councillors Powers and Mitchell were not at
the meeting.
The
Showstoppers are continuing to camp at the Greenhill site,
and will continue their picket activity throughout Wednesday
and beyond, starting at 6 am. They welcome any one to come
out and take a shift or provide other assistance. Pickets
are located at Greenhill and Harrisford (one block west
of Mt. Albion) and at the western end of Albright Road (two
blocks west of Mt. Albion).
The
events of yesterday and today have drawn the attention of
all the local media, as well as CBC “Radio Noon”,
CBC television, CITY television, the First Nations newspapers
Teka and Turtle Island News, and the Globe and Mail.
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