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December
14, 2003
UPDATES
Martin
Selects Pro-Expressway MPs
The Hamilton cabinet positions handed out by new Prime Minister
Paul Martin went to the only local MPs who have been very
vocal supporters of the Red Hill Creek Expressway. In the
past, Tony Valeri and Stan Keyes even attacked their own
government for requiring a federal environmental assessment
of the expressway. In contrast, MP John Bryden spoke out
against the expressway, MP Beth Phinney has been quiet on
the issue, and MP Sheila Copps has been repeatedly accused
of being opposed to the expressway. None of these three
have been invited into Martin’s cabinet. The decision
to make Valeri the federal Transport Minister obviously
does not bode well for transit in Hamilton or elsewhere
in the country.
Donations
Requested for Aboriginal Lawsuit
Lawyers working on the lawsuit of Mohawk citizen Larry Green
are seeking financial assistance to pursue the case asserting
his and his descendents Nanfan Treaty rights in Red Hill
Valley. The two lawyers, Murray Klippenstein and Andrew
Orkin, have committed their firms’ resources to the
case, but there is no doubt that the City will be willing
to spend enormous amounts of tax dollars to oppose them.
Accordingly, the lawyers indicate that they would welcome
any and all financial support from the public to help cover
the extensive costs of the legal steps required to undertake
this important environmental and treaty rights case. The
two law firms are working day and night to get the case
into court on an urgent basis. If you are interested in
supporting this legal action to oppose the construction
of the Red Hill Creek Expressway, cheques should be made
payable to "Red Hill Valley Defence Fund" and
may be mailed or delivered to: Andrew Orkin, Barrister and
Solicitor, 103 Glenfern Ave., Hamilton, ON L8P 2T9.
Expressways
Before Hospitals
The
first decision of the new City Council suggests that not
much has changed. Council turned down a chance to cleanup
the old Stelco Canada Wire site on Wellington Street North
so the land could be used for expansion of Hamilton General
Hospital. The lands were seized by the City after running
up $2.5 million in unpaid taxes. The hospital offered to
purchase them but the Council balked at the cleanup cost
($0.5 million to $1.7 million), and the fact that hospitals
pay a reduced property tax rate. So the lands will remain
a dirty useless eyesore paying no taxes at all, while the
City spends $200 million to build an expressway that will
trash our largest park (and also not pay any taxes). Wouldn’t
it make more sense to spend the expressway money to cleanup
more than 100 contaminated brownfield sites and reverse
Hamilton’s decline?
An
Ecological Restoration Plan for Red Hill Valley
City
contractors are continuing to clearcut a wide swath down
the centre of the Red Hill Valley. However, this destructive
activity may soon be halted if the lawyers representing
Mohawk citizen Larry Green are able to obtain an injunction
stopping work on the expressway. Until asphalt and concrete
cover the ground, an ecological restoration project could
still be undertaken in the valley. In anticipation of this
possiblity, one of our members is asking for assistance
in preparing a restoration plan. He notes that “Nature
has an incredible ability to regenerate and restore disturbed
areas to forested habitats, particularly when assisted through
an intensive planting program of a full diversity of native
species of wildflowers, shrubs and trees. If the expressway
injunction were to be successful in the near future, the
80 m wide corridor they are devastating could be quickly
restored to natural meadow habitat.” He also points
out that “the genetic material of the clearcut forests
still exists, in the vegetation adjacent to the expressway
corridor and in the collections that the City has done from
the trees and plants that have been destroyed. The surrounding
natural areas would help to seed in and regenerate the destruction
zone. So perhaps the spirit of those once majestic trees,
forests and wild places desecrated by the City can be restored
to the Valley.” Those interested in creating a working
group to work on a restoration plan for the Valley and publicity
for it, should contact Ron Plinte at Ron.Plinte@hwcn.org.
Citizens
Watching Councillors
A group is forming to monitor the meetings and other activities
of Hamilton City Council and report their findings to the
public. Participants will attend the daytime standing committee
meetings of council, review agendas and staff reports, and
conduct other research. Anyone interested in becoming involved
should contact Don at don.mclean@hwcn.org
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