Past Events
PROTEST AT EVICTION from Proposed Airport Lands
On Monday January 28th, at 9
a.m., about 50 members of Land
Over Landings and their friends
and neighbours gathered in the
hamlet of Brougham in north
Pickering, to say goodbye and to
protest the eviction in the
middle of winter of one of their
own, long-time resident Mike
Puterbough.
Puterbough is one of the last
remaining families who fought
eviction orders imposed just
over three years ago by Public
Works and Transport Canada,
managers of the so-called
federal airport lands.
Along with several other
families, Puterbough took the
government to court, thus
exposing decades-long
mismanagement of the homes,
lands and properties. While
eviction orders were dropped
against some families, others
gave up the battle and left
reluctantly, while one family
still continues in the courts,
having won the first round.
"It's extremely sad.", said Gord
McGregor, long-time resident on
the federal lands and a founding
member of Land Over Landings.
"This eviction and demolition
represents another stage in the
slow death of our community,
death by strangulation at the
hands of federal government
bureaucrats."
Land Over Landings and MP Mark
Holland have long argued that
the federal government is using
a systematic depopulation of the
lands as a means of removing
tenants, thus paving the way for
the proposed airport. Over
18,000 acres of farmland and
communities, including over 700
homes, were expropriated over 35
years ago. Today fewer than 200
families remain, many of them
long-time residents or original
owners.
Interested groups, including
LOL, are awaiting the latest
report on the Needs Assessment
for an international airport in
Pickering. The study being
conducted by the pro-airport
Greater Toronto Airports
Authority, was originally due
for release in November 2007.
Another man evicted in Brougham
Residents have had enough with
saying goodbye to long-time
friends
(Click here to read more)
http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/pickering/article/92897
and video of the Brougham
Protest...
http://www.mediamash.ca/media/3235/Protest_takes_off_in_Brougham/
Brougham Protest
January 28th, 2008
"Today's protest in Brougham was
a tremendous success on one level. A very good crowd of supporters
came out, as did the media. There will be stories on local Rogers
Cable as well as CFRB, Global, CTV, the News Advertiser and the Star
(as well as their online news). In that sense it was a huge success.
We must not forget, however, that it was also a failure because,
after years of fighting, Mike Puterbaugh -- who said they'd evict
them "over his dead body" -- is leaving Brougham for the last time
today."
Another man evicted in Brougham
Residents have had enough with
saying goodbye to long-time
friends
(Click here to read more)
http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/pickering/article/92897
and video of the Brougham
Protest...
http://www.mediamash.ca/media/3235/Protest_takes_off_in_Brougham/
The Endangered Lunch
The Endangered Lunch was a rally at Queen's Park at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. About 50 members of a coalition of environmental groups (Land Over Landings, Sierra Club and Earth Roots) and concerned citizens gathered to seek Provincial support to stop this unsustainable and unnecessary airport! We invited the Premier and five different Provincial Ministers for an 'Endangered Lunch', to underscore the issues. We wanted them to celebrate local food options and put pressure on the federal government to stop this preposterous project. We received good press (TV and print) coverage and the action was deemed a success.
The Endangered Lunch Grace
We would like to welcome you to
this table, congratulate you on
your appointments and
especially, thank you for the
Green Belt.
We are celebrating that
achievement and the fortunate
preservation of thousands of
acres of the last best
farmland between here and
Britain. We hope it can
remain so, but it is endangered.
Please help us convince the
federal government to add this
Land to the Greenbelt. Here’s
why…
This apple represents the earth,
I cut it in quarters, 3/4 is
water. I cut that in half, 1/2
is mountains and desert. I cut
this piece in four. Three of
these four are covered with
cities and roads or are rocky
and infertile. I remove the peel
from this last 1/32. This bit is
the topsoil that remains to feed
the world!
Currently North American
Agriculture requires 1.2 acres
of land per person per year to
feed us; by 2050 only .6 acres
per person will be available.
Organic farmland has 4 times the
yield.
We want to remind you that the
Provincial Gov’t stopped the
Airport last time and saved us
about a billion bucks; that’s
what Mirabel cost before closing
a while back. Our ultimate dream
is to see this treasure turned
into organic farms. In so doing
it could produce four times its
current output, absorb 40,000
tons of carbon, maintain several
endangered species and preserve
the North shores’ last coldwater
stream.
By the time these teenagers are
adults it will be too late. We
must act now to save their
birthright.
Let’s take a stand : And Save
the Land..
Enjoy your lunch and keep up the
good work.
Michael Robertson
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Pickering Green Festival
The Cabaret of The
Gilded Cage
Our Fun Fair (Sat. Sept
24) was a great success.
Land Over Landings
thanks |
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Checking out the
groaning board of items
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Laurie Barclay and Wendy
Beelby check the selection at the Bake Table. |
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Pickering Mayor Dave
Ryan chats with Land
Over Landings |
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Land Over Landings at
Pickering Green Festival
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Land Over Landings at
the Stouffville |
