Saturday, February 8, 2014

The War Down On The Farm

By : Dennis Stein

  With no response from sitting politicians on the matter, supporters trying to save Frank and Marjorie Meyer's farm in Trenton, Ontario face an uphill battle. The farm in question, a 200 plus acre property bordering on CFB Trenton, faces expropriation. 85 year old Frank Meyers has sat day after day in his pickup truck, greeting supporters who continue to show up daily in support of a reversal on the decision to expropriate the family farm, which has been in the Meyer's family since the settlement of Upper Canada. The site was designated for an expansion of the Trenton Air Force base, to train an elite unit called Joint Task Force 2, and heavy equipment from Parkside Paving and Landscaping, a contractor hired for the demolition of Frank's hand built barns, stand poised at the back edge of the property.
  Enter social media. A woman from Ottawa, Lisa Gibson, began a Facebook page in October 2013, and has since along with a few others, managed to harness the attention of over 52,000 people from across Canada and around the globe to the cause. At this level, the supporters have managed to stop the destruction of Frank's outbuilding and barns, and forced local and federal politicians to sit up and take notice. The media all across the country have broadcast the battle, and finally, politicians from other parties are getting involved.
  With a large event planned for tomorrow at 209 Meyers Creek Road, supporters are hoping that officials from the NDP party will help with their battle to save the historic farm property. If it succeeds, it will mark the first time in history that an expropriation was reversed, which also offers a glimmer of hope to another farm in the Toronto area, facing expropriation for expansion of a local airport.
  It would seem that social media has brought back the voice of the people, and people across the country are banding together despite government plans and saying with a clear voice -NO...The powers-that-be may want to listen, because with that much support, deaf ears may cause the end of their political careers.


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