VALLEY RALLY

RALLY FOR RED HILL VALLEY

MEDIA RELEASE -
For Immediate Release August 3, 2003
Hamilton, Ont. -- With work to start Tuesday, August 5 on a component of a proposed expressway in an east Hamilton valley, opponents of the road are vowing to use every peaceful means at their disposal to convince the City of Hamilton not to go ahead with construction.
On Monday, August 4, beginning at 1 p.m., opponents of the expressway will gather a point just east of the Red Hill Valley for a rally and a street dance.
AT 2 P.M., CHIEF NORM JACOBS OF THE HAUDENOSAUNEE CONFEDERACY WILL PRESIDE AT A CEREMONY CONCERNING THE STEWARDSHIP OF THE RED HILL VALLEY.
A garden of hope will be planted in a green space that is to be turned into a ramp and bridge for the expressway. The location for these events is at the western end of Greenhill Ave. (off Mount Albion Road)
The proposed expressway will see 93 hectares of the Red Hill Valley cleared and a similar additional amount of land "negatively impacted" in what is one of the most significant urban green spaces in Canada. At least 41,000 trees will be cut down and replaced with 54 hectares of pavement.
Total cost of the expressway is now estimated at $220 million, well over $40 million a mile. Hamilton's external debt is expected to triple by 2006, to over $1,000 per person.
More information about the expressway and its expected effects can be found on the website of Friends of Red Hill Valley at www.hwcn.org/link/forhv