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Peace Promoters Convicted of Trespass but Sentence Suspended

Thursday, July 27, 2006.

Peace Promoters Convicted of Trespass but Sentence Suspended in Burlington, Ontario;

Ruling Finds Private Property Rights of Military Manufacturer L-3 Wescam Take Precedence over the Lives of Those Targeted With Wescam War Technology

Burlington, Ontario, July 27, 2006 -- The scene today in Burlington's provincial court #1 was fairly unusual, in the words of the Prosecution, the Justice of the Peace and, by their own admission, the defendants, as a group of peace promoters was convicted of trespassing for their role in a peaceful demonstration at military manufacturer L-3 Wescam in Burlington, Ontario. Nine members of the Mothers Day Coalition for Peace, which includes Homes not Bombs and Hamilton Action for Social Change, had been arrested for seeking a dialogue with the Wescam president last May.

Indeed, a court normally reserved for speeding tickets and arguments over who caused a vehicular collision became home to a teach-in on personal responsibility during a time of global emergency. Among the issues discussed were the rule of law and the role of law when it comes to the private property "rights" of corporations that violate international law and Nuremberg Principles with war production. Another major focus was on the right -- indeed, the obligation -- of citizens to speak and act to end the complicity of individuals, groups, and companies that contribute to the planning for and execution of mass murder.

What was perhaps most pleasing about the day was the packed courtroom of those awaiting the opportunity to resolve traffic tickets, many of whom had not known what was produced at the massive L-3 Wescam factory at 649 North Service Road. Rather than wait outside the court and do crosswords, most individuals stayed glued to their seats. Some cried during the emotional testimony of the defendants as they talked about the brutal purposes to which L-3 Wescam technology is used; others later thanked the group on trial for their convictions and their actions, with some staying right till the end of the day to hear the verdict.

And although some of them may be loathe to admit it, it also felt as if the police, prosecutor, and the justice of the peace were all a bit challenged and shaken, in a transformative way, by the day's events.

A SIMPLE MATTER?

It seemed on paper like a simple matter. A group of people refused to leave company property, admitted they refused to leave, but refused to plead guilty with an explanation. Even the offer of a reduced fine in exchange for a plea of guilt was refused by the defendants. There was a context that needed to be explained, and while both the Prosecutor and the Justice of the Peace reminded the group that they were not to turn the court into a political forum or a continuation of the demonstration, that is pretty much what happened from the get go.

Spectator at Wescam

Wescam demonstrators arrested      (view a video of the action)

Six members of peace coalition face trespassing charges after protest

By John Burman, The Hamilton Spectator BURLINGTON (May 16, 2006)

Six members of a loose-knit demonstration led by the Mother's Day Coalition for Peace have been charged with trespassing after trying to enter Wescam's North Service Road offices.

Halton police said the demonstrators were arrested just after noon yesterday after demanding a meeting with Wescam management and refusing to leave when asked by security.
Andrew Loucks, a member of Hamilton Action for Social Change, said the group -- which also marked Mother's Day with a demonstration at the same site Sunday -- chose Wescam because it provides imaging equipment for war purposes.
The group placed about 100 black paper "grave markers" beside Wescam's entrance. Each bore the name of a civilian, some as young as two, who the group says have been killed in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Wescam was bought in the fall of 2002 by L-3 Communications, a giant, New York-based U.S. defence contractor interested in Wescam's wireless cameras and stabilizing mounts.
The Hamilton-born company -- famous for making Superman "fly" in movies with its camera equipment -- now counts on the military, governments and law enforcement for about 75 per cent of its business.
Company security chief Don Wallace was not available for comment yesterday.
The six were taken into custody, charged under the Provincial Offences Act and released. Each faces a $58 fine if convicted and have 15 days to decide whether to fight the charge.
Loucks was not among those arrested yesterday. He said the coalition sees Wescam as an opportunity for those against war to "think globally and act locally."
Halton police Detective Steve Skerrett said the group was part of a larger number of protesters who moved onto the property after a peaceful demonstration to seek a meeting with Wescam officials. Skerrett did not have names of those arrested.
Most of the group retreated when asked, he said. When some refused, Wescam security called police and an officer and three constables responded.
Randy Kay, a Hamilton peace, cycling and transportation activist who earned a Vision 2020 Sustainable Community Recognition Award two years ago, said the coalition sees Wescam as part of the "military-industrial complex right here in beautiful Burlington."

Nine Peace-Seekers Arrested at Military Firm L-3 Wescam

Nine Peace-Seekers Arrested at Military Firm L-3 Wescam in Burlington, Ontario

Executives at Canada's Self-Proclaimed "Largest" War Manufacturer Place Building on Lockdown, Refuse Dialogue as They Continue Work on "Low Cost Precision Kill Vehicles"

BURLINGTON, ONTARIO, MAY 15, 2006 -- Nine peace-seekers were arrested today on the grounds of military manufacturer L-3 Wescam for seeking a dialogue with company executives on transforming their business to purely peaceful uses. During a lengthy and exhaustively mobile civil resistance action, a group of people from Homes not Bombs and the Mother's Day Coalition for Peace darted in between private security and, eventually, Halton police officers as they sought entry at the 125,000 square-foot facility.

As they sought dialogue, another group of about 30 people gathered at the main entrance to Wescam for a moving ceremony led by Caledon East students commemorating the countless thousands killed by the likes of Wescam technology in Iraq and Afghanistan.
L-3 Wescam, perhaps best known for manufacturing the targettng equipment used by the deadly unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) The Predator (used to horrific effect in Afghanistan and Iraq, and described as one of the "superstars" of the 2003 invasion), also produces equipment for the Cobra Attack Helicopter, and the militaries of such human rights violators as Egypt and Colombia. Wescam was recently involved in The Low Cost Precision Kill demonstration of the Vigilante unmanned attack helicopter.

PROFITING FROM FEAR AND WAR

Wescam, like its parent L-3, is very much a fear and war profiteer, seeing its major strengths as the three prongs of the so-called "war on terror": war, surveillance and interdiction (directed against refugees, immigrants, and likely used against the Six Nations blockade at Caldeonia), and violence against dissent in the name of "Homeland Security" (the L-3 2005 report proudly shows a line of heavily armed riot cops outfitted with their gizmos.)
A major source of their funding, though, remains programs promoting the UAVs. According to the U.S. Air Force's strategic vision planning document, the future of warfare is the use of UAVs, naming the Predator as a system that "evolved into a formidable combat support and was involved in every major military operation" between 1996 and 2004. Armed with Hellfire missiles, the Predator is described as "one of the military's most requested systems, assisting in the execution of the global war on terror by finding, fixing, tracking, targeting, engaging, and assessing suspected terrorist locations."
The Predator was implicated in the 2002 extra-judicial execution of six individuals driving in Yemen, who were obliterated by Hellfire missiles. No arrests, no charges, no trial, just a summary execution from the silence of the skies. They never knew what hit them. Recent news from Afghanistan and Pakistan reports houses blown away and civilians obliterated by UAV-fired missiles. We do not hear about the victims of such gross outrages, other than that they must have been the "enemy."
The UAV is viewed as "a major component of the Army Future Combat System," especially since unmanned vehicles mean increased air time, hovering time, and an ability to operate in "environments contaminated by chemical, biological, or radioactive agents." The Pentagon admits that politically, using UAV's piloted with video screens based in the US cuts the domestic cost created by bodies coming home.
And the best is yet to come. "Arming the RQ-1 Predator with Hellfire missiles can be compared to the mounting of guns on biplanes early in the last century," gushes the USAF document.

SEEKING A DIALOGUE

Out of a concern for this continued growth in military production at L-3 Wescam, members of the Mothers Day Coalition for Peace, Hamilton Action for Social Change, and Homes not Bombs have repeatedly demonstrated at L-3's entrance, including a nonviolent direct action there in December, 2002.
Today's direct action was motivated by a strong desire to force the issue of dialogue on transforming the technology and genius of Wescam employees into something socially constructive, like creating microscopic targetting probes to zap coronary heart disease or better forms of weather prediction.
"All we want is to speak to the people inside. We have been trying to get inside for the past three and a half years," explained Gail Lorimer, who has vigiled consistently at the entrance to the facility. Those arrested were Lorimer and Ed Babb of Burlington, Barney Barningham of Durham, Gary Connally and Steve MacIsaac of Brampton, and Kirsten Romaine, Maggie Panter, Matthew Behrens, and Murray Lumley of Toronto.
The civil resistance action capped two days of nonviolent protests at Wescam, which yesterday featured a rally of 50 enthusiastic students, teachers, and other community members reclaiming the original intent of Mothers Day as it was founded in 1870 by Julia Ward Howe -- as a day to call for disarmament.

MASS GRAVE SITE AND A DIE-IN

Members of the group made a huge grave site with the names of hundreds of Afghanis and Iraqis killed, many likely by technology produced directly by L-3 Wescam or by one of L-3's many subsidiaries. One Burlington student dressed as Howe to read the original Mothers Day Proclamation, and also sang songs of peace while other students shared powerful reflections on the need to seek peace and justice. Poetry and personal stories about war resistance were also part of the rally. Sunday's rally closed with a "die-in" that blocked the exit driveway of Wescam, accompanied by the reading of hundreds of additional names of those killed in the ongoing wars and occupations.
"The die-in was very empowering," explained one student. "As I lay there looking at the heavens and hearing all those names, I wondered if they were looking down on us and feeling thankful that they were being remembered, that their lives were not forgotten."

EMPLOYEES TOLD "DON'T TALK TO THE DEMONSTRATORS!"

L-3 Wescam, which owns a major chunk of land (including a private helicopter landing pad), seemed particularly security conscious throughout the Sunday and Monday rallies. One woman remarked that despite the Sunday rally beginning at 2:30 pm, she saw security standing guard on the grassy knoll on the way to Wescam at 8 am on Sunday morning. The security presence was also quite obvious from early Monday morning, when Gail Lorimer placed banners calling for peace on the fence opposite the entrance to L-3 at 5:30 am to catch the first shift. The gentleman in charge of security at the plant (who wore a huge "security manager" medallion reminiscent of the badge of courage worn by the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz) informed Gail that employees had been told of the demonstration and to refuse to open their windows to receive leaflets.
Today's rally began much like Sunday's, with the reconstruction of the mass graveyard (names facing those leaving and entering the site in front of a large stone edifice engraved with the corporate name) and the reading of thousands upon thousands of names of those killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and of Canadian soldiers who have been killed as well. After some reflections and song, about a dozen people began walking up the long, hilly driveway to try and enter the main facility to begin their dialogue, but were repeatedly grabbed and told to turn around by private security.
Undeterred, the group kept going forward, walking around the guards and holding signs with grim pictures of what happens to people on the other end of Wescam's targetting technology along with names taken from the graveyard. "I want to know why Royama, a 3-year-old girl, has her name here in this graveyard, and is not instead living a happy life like the children in the school located next to Wescam," explained one of the demonstrators. "Does Wescam technology have something to do with her death?"
Others explained that a refusal to leave the property if dialogue was denied was the least they could do to honour the memories of all those whose names graced the front lawn of Wescam, and those which were read out over the lunch hour by high school students from Caledon East.

AMAZING GRACE BRINGS TEARS TO SECURITY OFFICERS' EYES

After numerous stops and starts as the group maneuvered their way though security, we finally wound up at the front doors, where we were informed that the whole site was on lockdown, and that no one would be going in or coming out. The group then joined hands to sing Amazing Grace and We Shall Overcome, bringing tears to the eyes of some of the security guards who, by all accounts, appeared to wish they were anywhere but here, blocking our access, on this day. Each attempt to move around the building was blocked, and at one point, the building manager and head of security grabbed one of the dialogue-seekers and dragged him a fair distance, combining their rigorous physical effort with a fair amount of verbal abuse.
Private security attempted to physically remove one woman from the area as well, but they were cautioned by the demonstrators that private security are not police officers and do not have the power of arrest. This came as such a surprise to the private security that they let go of her.
At this point, a sergeant with Halton Police finally stepped in and tried to offer to go inside to see if HE could set up a meeting in the hopes we might disappear. However, after 15 minutes of waiting, he came out and told us management was not interested in meeting and that, in the interests of sanctifying the right of private property, he would have to ask us to vacate the premises.
"What about the interests of the property that gets bombed with Wescam targeting equipment," asked one of the group. "What about the human rights of those who are maimed and murdered?"
The officer continued pleading with the group, trying to convince them that their protest was drawing away much-needed police resources from speeding drivers near schools and other criminal acts taking place in the city.
"But what about the criminal acts taking place in this building? Who stands up for the rights of those affected by what goes on here?" came the reply.
"Are you willing to leave the property peacefully?" the sergeant then asked each individually.
"I'm willing to stay here peacefully," came the answer before each person was taken off, patted down, placed in handcuffs, and put in the back of patrol cars for the trip to the police station. In one of the police cars, arrestees noted that the police computers are made by another military manufacturer where they have been arrested numerous times, Toronto's Litton Systems, since bought out by Northrup-Grumman and then by L-3. The officer explained that new L-3 logos would be replacing the Litton models.

ARE YOU GONNA WATCH PRISON BREAK TONIGHT?

Once at the police station, the group were issued trespass tickets while they continued their dialogue with the police about the need to disarm Wescam.
"Some of you guys are teachers, what kind of message are you sending to your students?" the desk officer asked.
"That you need to stand up for justice, and sometimes you have to break a small law to prevent a greater harm," came the response.
Just before being released, one of those arrested sidled up to the front desk and asked with great sincerity, "Are you planning to watch the season finale of 'Prison Break' tonight?"
The officer looked up from the desk, confused that a pacifist would be interested in such a show.
"But they show such creative ideas for busting out of joints like this," came the reply.
The group was held only briefly before being released and heading to the local court to file requests for trials, likely to occur in four to six months time. Meanwhile, it is hoped that Canadians across this country will similarly confront the many local war manufacturers which dot our landscape. Stopping the wars where they start (in the factories of the war profiteers) is one of the most direct actions we can take to end the misery and suffering experienced by those halfway around the world when "made in Canada" military technology is put to its deadly uses.
In the meantime, efforts to get a dialogue going continue. If you would like to encourage Wescam, consider faxing or emailing L-3 Wescam executives, urging them to sit down and dialogue with the coalition: Send a quick note calling on L-3 Wescam to end its war business and make socially useful products to John Dehne, President, Fax: (905) 633-4100, or send an email from the following site: http://www.wescam.com/contacts_1_sales.asp)
And stay in touch! www.homesnotbombs.ca

103

CLIMATE OF FEAR? 

A WAKE UP CALL!

Vigil at Hamilton City Hall
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26, 2005
6:00 - 7:00 pm

A dozen people marked the one year anniversary of the worst ever recorded air quality index reading in the province - a reading of 103 - a dubious distinction for Hamilton achieved on October 26, 2004.


The small gathering was to be a "wake-up call" to city council, a first notice that some citizens want to see some substantial action to address issues of smog and climate change. 

Children chalked messages on the pavement, as others donned air filter masks and held a "Climate Change: Action NOW!" banner in front of city hall as hundreds of cars zoomed past on Main Street. 

The group moved inside moments prior to the start of a city council meeting to deliver their wake up call. 

As city councillors settled into their chairs, a brief but noisy percussion session erupted in the foyer outside council chambers. The banner was clearly visible for councillors and a group of students visiting from Mohawk College. 

Downtown councillor Bob Bratina came and joined in a circle dance led by Rex Barger, before returning to his council seat. 

The vigil ended with Hamilton's daily newspaper and local television station failing to cover the event. 

A year ago, Clean Air Hamilton's chairperson Brian McCarry said the extreme smog warning should be a wake-up call about the amount of pollution produced locally. 

Yet, a year later we have to ask ourselves: Are we allowing ourselves to get used to smog? How much poisonous air is acceptable? What do we need to help make better choices? And, given that Canadians consider climate change an urgent issue we must ask: are governments doing enough? 

A recent study by the David Suzuki Foundation indicates that "Canada is one of the worst environmental performers in the industrialized world and has shown no improvement over the past decade." The study notes that Canada's greenhouse gas emissions are two times higher than the average for other industrialized countries and major smog-causing air pollutants are two-to-three times higher. 

In Hamilton, smog and climate change are driven largely by our transportation choices. A report prepared for the city found that while fuel use increased across Canada during the 1990s, Hamilton's per capita fuel use increased more rapidly than most other cities, from almost 1,100 litres per capita to nearly 1,250 litres." Automobile travel is the largest producer of Green House Gases (GHG) 

With only 7% of daily trips using transit, it is clear where we might begin to make the kind of gains necessary if Canada is to stop going the wrong direction on our Kyoto commitments. 

Not facing climate change, according to another study, means that heat-related deaths will double by 2050 and triple by 2080 because of global warming. The authors say that increased air pollution will cause a 20 per cent increase in smog-related deaths by 2050 and a 25 per cent increase by 2080. Scientists urged the federal government to focus on mandatory, rather than voluntary measures to meet Canada's targets under the Kyoto Protocol for reducing smog and greenhouse gases. 

We are witnessing the effects of climate change - from the seemingly mundane, like pollution-stressed trees showing less fall colour, to hurricanes and extreme weather, flooding, landslides, sea level rise, heat/cold waves, water shortage, air pollution, intensification of heat islands. The list goes on and it is only going to get worse. 

It's time for serious reflection, time to acknowledge our role in climate change and resolve to do all we can to prevent a continuation of destructive ways. It's clear that we need action, we need to be proactive and come up with a preventative, not just a reactive, smog strategy. 

We might start with planting more trees, pass an anti-idling by-law, build more bike paths and bike lanes and connect more footpaths, lower transit fares and increase service funded by dedicated gas taxes, create green roofs, de-pave parking lots, put our roads on "diets", invest in clean local energy, raise taxes on SUV purchases (currently taxed at a rate that is between one-half and one-third the rate for passenger vehicles), protect and support local organic agriculture and agricultural lands, reduce our fuel consumption through conservation measures, build more compact cities by embracing "smart growth", ensure climate change is factored into new developments, and make binding - not voluntary - emission thresholds for industry.

TAKING IT TO QUEEN'S PARK

Walk the walk from the Valley to Queen's Park

BUSES TO QUEEN'S PARK - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24 - departing from Centre Mall (near Burger King); assemble at 9:00 a.m. - return to Hamilton by 4:00 p.m. (estimate)

Red Hill Valley Roadshow!
WALK THE WALK FROM THE VALLEY TO QUEEN'S PARK

A group of Hamilton residents will complete a five-day-trek from Red Hill Valley to Queen's Park, Monday, November 24.

The group and their supporters are expected to arrive at the Provincial Legislature at 11:00 a.m. Monday
At Queen's Park they are hoping to give a cheque of $122 million to Ontario's new cash-strapped Premier, Dalton McGuinty. $120 million is the amount the provincial government has committed to an expressway that will go through Canada's largest urban park - the Red Hill Valley.

The walk began Thursday, November 20 at Hamilton's threatened Red Hill Valley where construction of the Red Hill Creek expressway is set to blast the largest hole ever contemplated (80-metres wide, 15-metres deep and nearly half a kilometre long) in the Niagara Escarpment, a designated World Biosphere reserve.
The Niagara to Tobermory Bruce Trail in Hamilton is currently blocked and guarded by private security at Mount Albion road and Mud Street where the clear-cutting of Carolinian forest has begun in preparation for winter blasting.

The group hopes that Mr. McGuinty and the Environment Minister will take back their $122 million funding for the expressway, and instead reinvest in measures for Hamilton that would curb further urban sprawl, support mass transit and reduce reliance on single occupancy vehicles. Alternatively, Mr. McGuinty might want to take half back and spend the remaining $60 million to cover an alternative highway design that preserves the valley, and expands the existing Highway 20.

Along the route, which took the walkers through Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga and Toronto, public events were held to show The Red Hill Road Show, a multi-media presentation on the ongoing struggle to save the Red Hill Valley featuring videos from the valley struggle, music and discussion.

At Queen's Park the walkers will request that Mr. McGuinty take back the money for the project and sign a pledge that would see the money applied wisely, in the interest of the health of future generations and the planet.

Call to Carmen's

RED HILL VALLEY - CALL TO ACTION!

Friday October 24, 7:30 a.m. Carmen's Banquet Centre The "Get Hamilton Moving Task Force" Annual General Meeting and �Celebration of the Valley�?????
Oh, please!
What would people celebrating the paving of a valley eat at a breakfast celebration? Crunchy concrete cereal? toasted bagel with asphalt and asparagus spread (whole wheat or sesame seed)? smog and pm10 granola (with organic raisins)? Flattened Flying Squirrel waffles?
What's to celebrate? Toothpicks produced locally from Red Hill Valley? Or the hoped for biggest hole ever blasted in the Niagara Escarpment Bio-Sphere reserve? The paving of paleo-indian burial sites? 44,000 less trees? More traffic, noise and pollution for the east end? Finally paving the last of 14 streams that coursed from mountain to the harbour?
Will part of the proceeds of the breakfast go to the Politician Development Programme's "Frapporti Fund" (award going to the council members most responsible for suing citizens for $100,000 in court costs, named after the rather expensive lawyer hired by the city)
Well, hopefully they'll be eating crow (figuratively speaking), but whatever they are eating, supporters of the natural Red Hill Valley will be there to share an alternative vision: a celebration of the earth and respect for the eco-system that is Red Hill Creek Valley. Placards, banners, noise-makers and musical instruments welcome!
The Elvis Direct Action Fan Club will be on hand to present a special Houndog award to Larry ("the legs") DiIanni* for keeping a bad 1950's idea** alive despite advances in education, science and culture.
And no celebration of the Red Hill Valley would be complete without the presence of THE RED HILL EXPRESSWAY MONSTER (eating your municipal and provincial tax dollars); A HOMELESS FLYING SQUIRREL and a WALKING-TALKING TREE.
NOT TO BE MISSED!
DATE: Friday, October 24, 2003
PLACE: Carmen's Banquet Centre, 1520 Stone Church Rd. E. Hamilton
TIME: 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. - Continental breakfast
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. - Business meeting with guest speakers
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.  Question period on the current status of the Red Hill Valley project
[Organizers of the breakfast announced that] THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS WILL PARTICIPATE: Bob Wade, Mayor, City of Hamilton / Stan Keyes, M.P., Hamilton West / Tony Valeri, M.P., Stoney Creek / Chris Murray, Director of the Red Hill Valley Project /

---

*DiIanni is the head of the Expressway Implimentation Committee and a Mayoral Candidate
**namely, the Red Hill Creek Expressway, first proposed in 1956, two-years before the hoola-hoop was invented
To enter there as a $5.00 cost - an rsvp deadline was set for September 30 - will they let people in who missed the deadline (since we just found out about this really weird event? We'll see...)

injunction function and first nations solidarity

Expressway opponents vow support for Aboriginal rights


Hamilton, Ont. -- Opponents of the Red Hill Creek Expressway expressed support today for members of the Six Nations Confederacy who are continuing to occupy lands in Hamilton's Red Hill Valley, despite a court injunction granted to the City of Hamilton.

"We agree with the Haudenonsaunee people that this decision has no bearing on their rights," said Jim Quinn, a spokesperson for the ShowStoppers Union, a coalition of individuals and groups opposed to the expressway. "We will try to support their struggle in any way we can."

The ShowStoppers expressed disappointment at the decision of Superior Court Judge Joseph Henderson in granting an injunction that allows work to begin on a bridge-ramp at the end of Greenhill Avenue in east end Hamilton.

"We respect the decision of the court but we will continue to oppose the expressway," Quinn said. "There has been a huge outpouring of support since the beginning of August to keep the Red Hill Valley expressway-free."

ShowStopper pickets successfully prevented the beginning of work at the Greenhill Avenue site in early August by Dufferin Construction. The picketing was peaceful and no arrests were made, in spite of police monitoring of the protest.

On August 11, the city applied to the Ontario Superior Court for an injunction to halt the picketing and allow construction to begin. Six individuals acted as defendants in the case and represented themselves in court hearings on September 5 and 8 against a high-powered team of seven lawyers hired by the City.

Justice Henderson's decision, released earlier today, can be read here (pdf).

Birds By Law

Protestors Prevented City of Hamilton from Breaking Federal Law

City study confirms that construction site occupied by nesting migratory birds

A City of Hamilton study has confirmed that the citizens who successfully stopped the City from beginning construction of the proposed $220 million Red Hill Creek Expressway, also prevented the City from violating the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act.
Citizens set up picket lines on August 5 near Greenhill Avenue in east Hamilton, and blocked access to a site slated for construction of part of the controversial expressway. They argued that the City did not have a legal right to begin the construction work, partly because of the presence of nesting migratory birds in the proposed construction site, first reported in an August 4 media release by Friends of Red Hill Valley.
The City is now pursing an injunction to prevent protests at the site. The next court appearance is scheduled for 10 am on Friday, September 5 in the John Sopinka Courthouse at 45 Main Street East in Hamilton.
As part of its court affidavits, the City has released a study conducted by its own consultants which confirms that nesting migratory birds were still on the construction site as late as August 21. The study was conducted by Karl Konze of Dougan and Associates. He says the nests he found may be active until this week and recommends that a further bird survey be carried out prior to any attempt to start construction. A continued 'nest-in' by the birds may result in further postponement of construction.
It is clear, however, that no study was conducted by the City prior to its attempt to start construction in early August. If this construction had been allowed to proceed, the City would have violated the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act which makes it an offence to "disturb, destroy or take a nest, egg, nest shelter, eider duck shelter or duck box of a migratory bird".
The City is responsible for checking details such as these before rushing to start construction work. "In their rush to pave the valley, the City continues to show its lack of care and concern for the environment and the law," said Friends of Red Hill chair Don McLean. "Never mind that if the city gets their road these birds will be homeless next year when they return to find 44,000 trees cut down to make way for pavement."
Far from thanking the protestors from preventing the City from violating federal law, Hamilton has threatened protesters with criminal charges and civil lawsuits including seizing people's homes to cover court costs and any delays to construction.
Mr. Konze's court affidivat also includes a "Red Hill Valley Project - Nesting Bird Survey and Due Diligence Protocol" dated "August 2003" that requires bird surveys to be conducted within four days of the proposed start of construction. It appears this protocol was developed AFTER the nesting birds were pointed out by Friends of Red Hill Valley, and is another positive result of the protestors' actions in stopping the construction work.
An electronic copy of Mr. Konze's affidavit is available on request.

contact Friends of Red Hill Valley for more information

The King of Satire?

Elvis Busted?

Presentation of HOUND DOG AWARD nixed by City's Court Proceedings

For immediate release, Wednesday, August 13, 2003 Hamilton Ont. - A pro-Red Hill Valley/Elvis fan-club protest group is "all shook up" over the cancellation of their proposed presentation of a "Hound Dog Award" to Hamilton City Council.
Hamilton City Council was chosen to receive the award for their efforts to keep alive a bad 1950s idea despite advances in education, science and culture: namely, the Red Hill Creek Expressway.
The Mayor of Hamilton's office refused to entertain the award which was to be presented at Wednesday's (August 13) council meeting, The award was timed to coincide with Elvis Week (Saturday, August 9 - Sunday, August 17)

An e-mail from the Mayor's office sent Monday pooh-poohed the ceremony: "Your request for an opportunity to present Council with a satirical award related to the Red Hill Creek Expressway....is denied as the matter of the Red Hill Creek Expressway is now before the Court in legal proceedings and it is therefore inappropriate for Council or staff to accept and/or make delegations, presentations, comments on the matter."

The group proposing the award, calling themselves the 50 WABIs (The 50's were a bad idea* and so is this road) intended to present council with a life-size gold and silver plastic Elvis bust ($29.99 at select corner stores) accompanied by a short speech.

"50 years ago, in the age before civil rights and women's rights; when TV was new and black and white; when people pondered where to build the family bomb shelter and kids learned to 'duck and cover' in case of nuclear war; when women wore gloves and men wore hats; in this context, in 1956, two-years before the hoola-hoop, the Red Hill Valley expressway is first proposed.
"Even 50's icon Elvis Presley changed from his hip-shaking, black-leather clad rebel, to morph into his 70's rhinestone-studded Vegas Elvis; yet, while Elvis changed (some say for the worse) and we've moved past most of the bad old 50's ideas, a few folks still cling to the outdated urban Expressway as a panacea for what ails the city.
"Sadly, tragically, Elvis never dealt with his terrible drug addiction, and as a result he got pretty bloated, sick and (some say) died at home at Graceland, August 16, 1977. We hope a similar fate will not befall the city of Hamilton due to the current addiction to building a $220-million expressway in a natural river valley, and spending money we haven't got."

The city of Hamilton is currently seeking an injunction to end a week of protests that have so far prevented the destruction of the valley. The City will make their motion for an injunction FRIDAY AUGUST 15, 10:00 AM at HAMILTON COURT HOUSE (45 Main Street East). 
 
Protesters have already received letters from the city threatening, along with criminal charges, civil actions to seize their assets- including their homes- to cover any costs incurred by delays.
"Not content to just make a threatened species of flying squirrel homeless, the city is going after peoples' homes for defending the valley and its inhabitants," says Randy "Don't Be Cruel" Kay. "If the city gets their way we'll all be singing "Jailhouse Rock" for exercising our constitutionally protected rights."
According to Kay, the relationship between the city and its citizens is definitely at a low point: "As Elvis would say, "we cant go on together, with suspicious minds."



*not all ideas of the 1950's were bad.

Not Goodbye - the beginning of Nonviolent Resistance

Goodbye to Red Hill valley?

Protesters say farewell as bulldozers poised to make east Hamilton greenspace a construction zone starting today

By Lori Fazari
The Hamilton Spectator. Tuesday August 5, 2003 (front page) Hundreds of people came out to say farewell (sic) to Red Hill valley as they knew it. Today bulldozers arrive and begin work on the new north-south road.
When Brian Tammi wakes up in his tent this morning, he'll be breaking city bylaw number 01-219, which has to do with municipal parks.
Tammi and his fellow campers are well aware of that. It's the reason they set up camp this weekend on a patch of land at the end of Greenhill Avenue, off Mount Albion Road in the east end.
This morning, the green space officially becomes a construction zone, the physical start of building the Red Hill Creek Expressway.
"No entry beyond this point," says the sign posted at the edge of the grass.
But Tammi, 18, and other activists are making a last-ditch effort to stop the start of construction and show their opposition to paving the Red Hill valley.
This fight's been going on long before Tammi's time, decades before he was born. But the moment has arrived for bulldozers to begin work on the expressway that will connect the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway on the Mountain to the Queen Elizabeth Way in east Hamilton.
Dufferin Construction crews were to arrive early this morning at the eastern edge of the valley, at the dead-end of Greenhill Avenue, which will be extended to connect with on and off ramps to the expressway.
Yesterday, protesters, neighbours and those drawn by the sight of the crowd of hundreds spent the afternoon in the sun in the park, listening to anti-expressway speakers. They gathered for a group picture, with a line of trees in the background, and held a potluck.
Tammi was the first one here, Saturday afternoon.
Others were supposed to camp out with him that night but couldn't make it, so it was him alone -- one man with a tent and tarp, camping supplies and the conviction that the expressway is a bad idea.
"This expressway is, for lack of a better word, silly," he said yesterday afternoon, sitting by the campers' tents while the crowd listened to one speaker after another.
"Economically, environmentally, legally, it's not sound."
Tammi often rides his mountain bike on the valley trails. On Saturday he was loaded down with gear, so his mother dropped him off at Greenhill Avenue, just before the rain started pouring.
He camped in the rain here just last month. Expressway opponents spent a weekend camping and planning ways to block the start of construction without violence. Tammi said some people were scared off from coming out this time, after the city sent a letter threatening to arrest or sue protesters.
"It's just bullying tactics and it's worked," he said.
Things were peaceful on the Civic Holiday weekend. Tammi was joined Sunday by other protesters, six of whom camped out with him that night. They spent the afternoon digging out a circle of grass to plant flowers in a Greenhill Community Garden, topped with a birdhouse. Their food was plentiful, with several watermelons for the potluck.
Tammi has been involved in many a protest and can't understand why more people don't get involved. "That's disgusting that people think they can't change anything," he said. "Apathy rules."
He wasn't sure what to expect this morning when construction crews arrive. "I don't plan to risk arrest," he said. "If they ask me to leave, I'll leave and I'll just return when it cools down."
As long as he stays off the grass, as required under bylaw 01-219.

Haudenosaunee Permit Granted to Showstoppers and Friends of Red Hill A permit to camp in the Red Hill Valley has been granted to representatives of two groups who are interested in protecting the ecology of the valley.
The Friends of Red Hill and the Showstoppers have been granted permits by the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse), who have inherent Aboriginal rights to camp, hunt, and fish in the Red Hill Valley. Along with the right to use the valley, the Haudenosaunee have the responsibility of protecting the valley for future generations. The Haudenosaunee people, whose traditional territory stretches between modern-day United States and Canada, lived in harmony with the natural world for hundreds and thousands of years, but in today's world, we face new environmental problems that our ancestors never had to consider.
The Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force was formed about ten years ago to work towards solutions of some of these environmental problems. More information about the Task Force can be found at www.hetfonline.org
Norm Jacobs, delegate to the Haudenosaunee Task Force, is currently in hospital in Hamilton and was unable to personally attend the rally in Red Hill Valley yesterday. On behalf of Norm Jacobs and the Haudenosaunee people, yesterday's rally was opened with the traditional Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving address, by Al Loft. Mr. Loft gave some background information about the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force and announced that permits had been granted to the Showstoppers and to Friends of Red Hill.
The permit is valid only if the permit-holders abide by both Kaianara:kowa (the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace), and the Showstoppers "Basis of Unity". The Basis of Unity consists of the following six points:

• Our attitude will be one of openness, friendliness, and respect towards all people we encounter.
• We will use no violence, verbal or physical, toward any person.
• We will not damage any property.
• We will not bring or use any drugs or alcohol other than for medical purposes.
• We will carry no weapons.
• We will make decisions by consensus.

The Haudenosaunee have never granted a permit to the City of Hamilton, and have not signed any agreements with the City of Hamilton about the Red Hill valley. The City of Hamilton signed an agreement with the Six Nations band council, as represented by Chief Roberta Jamieson, on June 30, 2003. The City of Hamilton and Six Nations have agreed to appoint a city-paid facilitator for discussions about archaeological activity in the Red Hill valley. However, the Six Nations band council is only one of the stakeholders with regard to archaeological activity in the valley, and the City of Hamilton also has a responsibility to consult with other stakeholders including the Haudenosaunee, the Mississaugas of the New Credit, and others.

The Sun on Red Hill

Rally rips new Hamilton Road

Expressway through greenbelt

By FRANCES PETRUCCELLI
Toronto Sun, Page 19, Tuesday, August 5, 2003

Several hundred people rallied in east Hamilton yesterday to stop the construction of a four-lane highway through one of the city's largest greenbelts.
Work is set to start today on the first ramp of the Red Hill Creek Expressway, and eight-km freeway linking Hwy 403 to the QEW.
"We need to stop the destruction of over 40,000 trees in the Red Hill Valley," protest organizer David Cohen said from the Greenhill Ave. construction site.
Some participants were planning to stay overnight at the site so they could be there when work crews arrive. They plan to use "every peaceful means at their disposal" to convince Hamilton to halt the four-year, $220-million project, Cohen said.
Even though half the cost of the epressway will be covered by the province, Cohen said critics are opposed to the "tremendous tax burden" it will put on city residents.
City staff were not available for comment yesterday, but in a statement Friday, Hamilton's city manager Bob Robertson urged protesters not to interfere with a "democratic decision that was taken years ago, after years of study on this much-needed transportation route."
Robertson said the city will take legal action against anyone who causes costly delays to the project.
"If they decide to take illegal actions that drive up costs, the city will have no choice but to seek to recover those costs from the persons who are responsible," Robertson said.

RALLY AUGUST 4, 2003

Publicly Oppose the Plans to Cut Valley Trees

Rally, Monday August 4, 1:00 - Greenhill

Friends of Red Hill Valley and other organizations invite you to a "Rally for the Valley" on civic holiday, Monday, August 4 at 1 pm. The City is pushing ahead with construction despite not having numerous approvals and permits. It is crucial that people call them to account. Please bring your friends, neighbours, relatives.
The City has announced plans to begin construction of the Greenhill Avenue interchange in the first week of August.
We expect they will try to start this work on August 5. The $3.3 million contract has been awarded to Dufferin Construction. It includes extending Greenhill Avenue westward from Mt. Albion Road down an unopened right-of-way bordering about 50 homes, erecting noise walls, and building a bridge to allow the planned expressway to pass under the road. Slightly more than half a hectare of valley lands are scheduled to be cleared as part of this work. While this is less than one percent of the planned destruction associated with the expressway, it is the first significant damage.
The August 4 event will include the planting of a garden of hope (please bring trees or other plants, soil, etc.) as well as the Rally. The location is the dead end of Greenhill Avenue, one block west of Mt. Albion Road at Harrisford Drive. Parking in this area is limited, so please try to car pool, bike or use the Parkdale bus if possible.

Campout Coverage

Hamilton Indymedia has posted extensive coverage of the July 4-6 campout in the valley by the Showstoppers Union, including photos of "tree huggers" and a portion of the speech by mayoralty candidate Dave Christopherson.

Expressway Argument Dealt Another Blow

The economic reasons given for building a north-south expressway have suffered another major setback. Over the past few months, the main economic argument of expressway supporters has been the necessity to increase industrial development in Hamilton. The north-south road is supposed to help by improving access to the East Mountain Business Park and the North Glanbrook Business Park that lies immediately south of it. While both of these areas are serviced by the Linc, the valley road allegedly will make them more attractive for new industrial development, especially the North Glanbrook site where most of the land is vacant (most of the East Mountain area is already occupied).

There are a number of flaws in this argument and some have been identified by the City and its hired consultants. For example, they admit that (1) the North Glanbrook lands are not serviced and it is unprofitable for their private owners to provide the services to attract new industry; (2) it will cost the City nearly $50 million to provide the necessary services; (3) there is no current market interest in purchasing these lands for industrial development; (4) the owners of the lands are actively demanding that their lands be rezoned to much more profitable residential uses; (5) residential development in greenfield areas doesn't pay for itself so more of it will simply make the City's financial position worse; (6) even if the City refuses to rezone these lands to residential, the owners would likely overcome this through an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).
In light of these facts, the Economic Development department at the City has proposed a fairly desperate gamble:build the expressway AND provide enough subsidies to the private owners to make it sufficiently profitable for them to accept industrial development on these lands. The advocates of this position candidly admit that it has two major problems -- the City can't afford to subsidize the landowners, and such subsidies are currently illegal under Ontario law (in order to prevent cities from getting caught in an increasingly expensive bidding war for new development). In fact, the scheme is even riskier since it rests on a unproven prediction that these steps will convince companies to want to move to Hamilton.

In the last few days, a provincial government decision has unravelled the argument. The City has been attempting to expand its urban boundary out to Fifty Road in Winona. This step was supposed to add enough land for residential development to create a 20-year supply. Then the City could argue that any attempt to convert North Glanbrook to residential was unreasonable or premature. Council eagerly approved the expansion into Winona, despite the fact that these are prime agricultural lands, and much of them are irreplacable tenderfruit lands found no where else in Ontario. Like so much done in Hamilton, this move broke the rules. This time it was so blatant that even the Eves government couldn't stomach it. They have objected to the expansion and forced the City to back down.

This leaves the North Glanbrook landowners in a much stronger position to argue that their lands should be rezoned to residential, and pretty much ensures that if the expressway is built, it will simply generate (and subsidize) more unsustainable and very expensive sprawl. Will it convince the gamblers to back down? The only guarantee is the November 10 elections for City Council.

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

Showstoppers under the gun

Protest must be peaceful

Police to watch as Red Hill work begins

By Eric McGuinness The Hamilton Spectator, Saturday, August 2, 2003.
Hamilton police say they weren't consulted about a city letter threatening Red Hill Creek Expressway opponents with lawsuits or arrests for any attempts to delay construction. Deputy Chief Brian Mullan says police understand the city's position, but remain neutral in the dispute over putting a road through Red Hill Valley.

What will happen next week when the anti-expressway Union of Showstoppers says its members will use non-violent civil disobedience to halt construction?

Mullan says: "We acknowledge an individual's right to protest and demonstrate. We as a police service take the position that when possible we will facilitate that. When behaviour becomes unlawful and public safety is in jeopardy, we will step in and take the necessary steps to protect public safety."

Signs are already up warning that the area around Greenhill Avenue will be closed to the public at 7 a.m. Tuesday, and save-the-valley groups plan a rally at the site while it remains open. Organizers say there will be walks, talks and a mass photo shoot, among other activities, starting at 1 p.m. on Civic Holiday Monday. The gathering will be on the eastern edge of the valley, where Greenhill dead-ends off Mt. Albion Road.

Hamilton West NDP MPP David Christopherson, a mayoral hopeful and expressway critic who will speak at the rally, says the warning letter sent to selected expressway foes "sure smacks of bully tactics. Whether that was the intent or not, that's how it looks."

Former councillor Fred Eisenberger, also running for the mayor's chair, considers it "overkill" and "more than was necessary," although he supports the expressway and says everyone should accept that it's going ahead.
City manager Bob Robertson said yesterday the letter was approved by a staff-level committee he chairs, one that has consulted former deputy police chief Christine Silverberg, recently retained on Hamilton's behalf by the city's Red Hill lawyer, David Estrin. Silverberg, a former Calgary police chief, was used by the city last year in talks with native leaders concerned about the valley's archaeological sites.

An aide said Mayor Bob Wade wasn't available for comment yesterday and acting city solicitor Elaine Holt, author of the letter, did not return a call from The Spectator.

The letter, which Robertson says went to 10 to 20 people, said the city could file multimillion-dollar lawsuits against those delaying work and that those who couldn't pay might see their homes seized and sold.

Canadian environmental lawyer David Boyd calls it "extraordinary" and a "slick" move to intimidate protesters without letting them respond.

Boyd, a research associate at the University of Victoria and former executive director of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, said it's not unusual for environmental activists to be sued, but the suits are generally used only to get a court injunction to stop demonstrations. They almost never go to court.

Boyd says what's unusual is that protesters haven't done anything to block construction, and it's a government going after environmentalists.

"That's what's odd about the situation. No one has done anything remotely unlawful. And in most cases, it's a corporation wearing the black hat, not a democratically elected government."

Boyd said defendants in a "strategic lawsuit to suppress public participation" have means to fight back, but Hamilton's letter only threatens legal action, so "there is little recipients can do to defend themselves. It's fairly slick for the city to do this by means of a threatening letter."

Julie Brezden, of the Red Hill Neighbourhood Association, complained yesterday the city hasn't consulted area residents about construction-related issues even though a recently distributed "neighbour's guide" said local issues were to be addressed at meetings in June and July.

Robertson offered no explanation for the lack of meetings, but said something could be set up quickly to answer questions.

CITY THREATS

Red Hill trespassers warned

City letter threatening arrest or lawsuits called 'appalling tactic'

By Eric McGuinness
The Hamilton Spectator, Friday, August 1, 2003

The City of Hamilton is threatening to arrest Red Hill Creek Expressway protesters or sue them and seize their houses if construction is slowed or stopped.

The warning was delivered yesterday afternoon, with the first interchange work in the Red Hill Valley scheduled to start Tuesday. A six-page e-mail message to opposition leaders such as Don McLean of Friends of Red Hill Valley and David Cohen of the Showstoppers Union says it will be illegal to enter the valley at the dead end of Greenhill Avenue after 7 a.m. Tuesday.

That warning appears to apply to anyone who enters the construction area but it was sent specifically to protest leaders who have vowed to stop the highway. Mayor Bob Wade couldn't be reached for comment last night, nor could senior city officials.

Dufferin Construction is expected to start building a bridge Tuesday over the route of the expressway that will connect the cross-Mountain Lincoln Alexander Parkway to the Queen Elizabeth Way in east Hamilton.
Paul Muldoon, executive director of the Canadian Environmental Law Association, is outraged by the letter, saying it's wrong for the city to presume expressway opponents intend to break the law.

"They must presume any protest will be a lawful assembly, that people know the rights and responsibilities of a citizen," he said yesterday. Muldoon, a Hamilton native who has led anti-expressway legal action, called the city letter "an appalling tactic that speaks loads about how this council views its own electorate."

Councillor Larry Di Ianni, chair of the expressway implementation committee, said he hadn't seen the letter from acting city solicitor Elaine Holt, but "from what staff say, I wouldn't characterize it as a threat, but rather information.

"I've heard Paul Muldoon's rhetoric before and I respectfully disagree with it. We expect things will go peacefully and everyone will respect the law. We want to give people the opportunity and right to protest and are saying, 'Here are the laws, we hope people will stay on the right side, and here are the consequences if people go beyond.'"

Those consequences, as outlined by Holt, include being sued for any loss and legal expenses if the $220-million project is held up, being fined under bylaws that make it an offence to obstruct vehicles or pedestrians on any street or sidewalk, and being arrested for mischief, intimidation or other offences under the Criminal Code.

Police officials could not be reached for comment.

It says the city can seek court orders against any attempt to obstruct access to the construction site and can ask to have violators jailed or fined for breaching such orders. It also says any damage award can be enforced by seizing and selling the defendant's property. It's not clear if council authorized the notice or if city bureaucrats gave the OK.

"I was floored to be warned of all the different ways the city can get us, that the city might sue for more than the total value of the contract and if you don't pay would take your property," said McLean. "I think it's very heavy handed. We've been treated as enemies and I think it will make people angry."

Cohen said the e-mail "strikes me as a bit of an intimidation tactic and I resent that. I don't take kindly to receiving a lawyer's letter from the city to which I pay taxes when I haven't done anything wrong."

FLYING SQUIRRELS TO DUFFERIN

RED HILL VALLEY FLYING SQUIRREL TO DELIVER LETTER TO DUFFERIN
CONSTRUCTION CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE THURSDAY, JULY 31, 11:00 a.m.

WHEN: 11:00 a.m., Thursday, July 31, 2003
WHERE: 690 Dorval Drive, Suite 200, Oakville, On.
A flying squirrel, a tree, and possibly other creatures or plants from Hamilton's Red Hill Valley will journey to Oakville on Thursday as part the struggle to keep the Valley, the jewel of Hamilton's east end, free of an expressway.
The ShowStoppers will be delivering a letter to Dufferin Construction Company, the company recently awarded the contract to construct a ramp to the expressway-to-be at Greenhill Ave., on the eastern side of the Red Hill Valley.
Flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans), designated a "species of special concern" by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSWIC), will only cause greater concern if they have to negotiate a four-lane expressway in the valley. At least 41,000 trees are to be levelled in the building of the $220 million expressway. Some of those trees will be bulldozed to construct the ramp at Greenhill Ave.
Construction of the Greenhill Ramp could start as early as August 5.
The ShowStoppers have vowed to use every peaceful means to stop the Red Hill Expressway, including, well, dressing up like squirrels! They have held camp-outs at the site, as well as non-violent civil disobedience workshops.
Please join the ShowStoppers as we go to Dufferin Construction's Oakville HQ and present our letter and a tree-seedling in the hope that Dufferin General Manager Lloyd Ferguson (brother of Hamilton Councillor Murray Ferguson ) will join us in planting, not paving the valley.

NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE FOR RED HILL

CITIZENS PREPARING TO DEFEND HAMILTON'S RED HILL VALLEY
NONVIOLENT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

A civil disobedience workshop takes place 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 26,
McMaster University Student Centre room 319
Hamilton Ontario As the city of Hamilton prepares to push forward with plans to begin construction of the controversial and hugely expensive Red Hill Creek Expressway, citizens are preparing to mount a non-violent defense of the valley.
This full day workshop will enable citizens to prepare for the many tasks necessary to protect the industrial east-end's only major greenspace, including risking arrest and jail.
The afternoon features a workshop on nonviolent civil disobedience with one of North America's foremost practitioners, Matthew Behrens of Toronto Action for Social Change.
Construction of the Greenhill extension and an expressway on-ramp are scheduled to begin as early as Tuesday, August 5, and Valley-lovers intend to be there to prevent the paving of this green space. Dufferin Construction has the contract to begin the work which will lead to the destruction of the valley.
A group of citizens calling themselves "The Showstoppers" have already held a weekend camp-out at the site, and received support from the neighbours whose homes are threatened by the paving of the valley.