BUS
TO QUEEN’S PARK
A school bus has been reserved to take friends of
the valley to Monday morning’s events at Queen’s
Park. It will be leaving the Centre Mall (near the
Burger King) at 9 am on Monday. PLEASE RESERVE your
seat as soon as possible by emailing jmulkewich@sympatico.ca.
We need to know if we need to reserve a second bus.
The walk to Queen’s Park is now in its second
day. |
November
21, 2003
DAY
ONE OF THE WALK TO QUEEN’S PARK
by Randy Kay
Walkers
assemble for trek to Toronto.
|
The
Burlington Baptist Church Hall upstairs was filled with
people eager to see the latest videos produced by the Red
Hill Video Collective on the ongoing struggle to save the
Red Hill Valley.
As
adjustments were made to the TV/VCR, Evelyna and Madeleine
Kay (7 and 6-years-old), two of several young participants
who completed the 20 kilometre walk, played music on the
piano to entertain the audience.
About
20 people completed the trek to Burlington which took the
walkers through the length of the Red Hill Valley trail
and along the beach/ waterfront trail into Burlington. 70
people had met at 10:00 a.m. for the start of the five day
journey to Queen's Park to demand that the Dalton McGuinty
Liberals refuse to pay for the destruction of the valley
and to dynamite the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere
reserve.
The
walkers are carrying a giant laminated cheque for $120 million
for Mr. McGuinty, the province's half of the money that
would destroy the east end of Hamilton's last large green-space.
The
walk along the beach was marred by the sounds and smells
of heavy traffic over the skyway bridge, a structure which
helped to frame the steel factories in the distance: it
is abundantly clear that the east end of Hamilton is overly
burdened with polluting vehicles, busy roads and factories,
all the more reason to wonder at the plan to put a four
lane expressway throught the last valley...
The
walkers were well received at the church and were treated
to a delicious vegetarian meal. Much thanks are due to Gail
Lorimer who activated the IDEA (Interfaith Development
Education Association) group to host the hikers and
to put them up for the night.
The
walkers were in good spirits and looking forward to some
more good walking weather for Friday.
There
will be a school bus charter going to Queen's Park from
Hamilton on Monday to join the walkers at the end of their
trek as they attempt to meet with the new premier. The bus
will leave Centre Mall (near Burger King) shortly after
9:00 a.m. Monday, November 24 — reserve a seat by e-mailing
jmulkewich@sympatico.ca
— if there is sufficient demand, we may rent a second
bus.
If
you are out looking for the walkers, keep an eye out for
the Anarcho-mobile support vehicle on the way, donated for
the walk by Julia of Plan B Organic Farm — the
vehicle, a VW with slogans like "Globalize the intifada"
and "Anarchy" and the hood lettering "Save
the Red Hill Valley" certainly drew attention along
the way, almost as much as the sight of dozens of people
walking into Burlington carrying signs and handing out postcards
to send to McGuinty.
The
walkers are leaving at 10:00 a.m. Friday from Appleby United
Church in Burlington (4407 Spruce, just west of Appleby
Line) and making their way to the Oakville Community Centre
for Peace, Ecology and Human Rights at 148 Kerr Street,
Oakville, where at 7:30 p.m. there will be a free screening
of the videos produced by the Red Hill Video Collective.
Check
Hamilton Indymedia (http://hamilton.indymedia.org/)
for updates on the bus and the walk. Thanks to Maggie Hues
for updating the site with reports from the walk.
|
