Everyone heard it at The Marshes at Chip In for Greenspace! Mayor Mark Sutcliffe stopped by before dinner and spent some time with our crowd. He popped up to the stage and reaffirmed the City’s commitment to our fight to SAVE KANATA’s GREENSPACE and his support for the KGPC.
The Mayor said, “Support the KGPC. A deal is a deal. If they do it here they can do it anywhere.”
May 22, 2023
The Mayor said it…
“ Support the KGPC. A deal is a deal. If they do it here they can do it anywhere.”
Everyone heard it at The Marshes last Friday at Chip In for Greenspace! Mayor Mark Sutcliffe stopped by before dinner and spent some time with our crowd. He popped up to the stage and reaffirmed the City’s commitment to our fight to SAVE KANATA’s GREENSPACE and his support for the KGPC. He’s right… we need more greenspace not less. And we need your help.
Councillor Cathy Curry was on hand too, donating a prize for our Chipping Contest and taking home an original John Mlacak painting in Kurt Stoodley’s Live Auction, one of several generous donations. More on Chip in for Greenspace below.
KGPC fires back on ClubLink’s latest motion…
Last issue we told you that ClubLink filed a new motion to force the Coalition into spending funds defending unnecessary motions by citing an “abuse of process” given the KGPC failure to advance our restrictive covenant (RC) motion filed in March 2022. They also asked the Court to impose a $200,000 security for potential ClubLink legal costs should they succeed, suggesting that the KGPC is financially unreliable because we rely on fundraisers and donations to pay our bills. Some of you wanted a more detailed explanation.
First things first. The KGPC filed the RC motion in March 2022 because an April 2022 filing deadline was looming by which we had to act or risk missing the opportunity to act on that option. Our legal team believed that should the 40PA stand with the pending Labrosse decision, the motion may not be required. And so, rather obviously, the KGPC was waiting for the 40PA decision before pushing forward with the RC motion and expending funds prematurely and/or unnecessarily on more engineering and legal costs. ClubLink took the opportunity here to force our hand by requesting a Case Management conference with Justice Labrosse putting forward the above arguments. The judge confirmed he should have the 40PA decision complete by the end of June. Nonetheless, he agreed to schedule a calendar process to satisfy the ClubLink motion aiming for a September 2023 hearing date.
Second. This community has raised over $500,000 on this battle over almost 4 years. It is obvious to all that our campaign to date has been dependent on sustained public donations and funding. Having said that, our supporters are in the thousands and, after early years of saying little, the City has clearly moved to our side in opposition to this development. And to be sure, we have no indication that our fundraising abilities are near exhaustion.
In 2022, when forming our RC argument and anticipating a ClubLink response, our legal team felt we would benefit from a nearby property owner affected by this development proposal and specifically the stormwater management issues, joining the RC motion along with the KGPC. Why? The KGPC itself is not a landowner. It is, for this reason, my name appears on the RC motion alongside the KGPC. ClubLink bullying continues in its latest motion suggesting that I, like the KGPC am a security risk for any applicable Court costs. An affidavit in our response suggests otherwise and you can find our Responding Record filed on May 11, 2023 here. ClubLink’s reply is now due on May 26 according to the Case Management calendar agreed to above. We’ll share it when we receive it. As of this week, we now know too that the earliest hearing date available in Ottawa for this opportunistic ClubLink motion is November 29, 2023.
So, a reminder of where we are and what we’re up against. We all continue to wait for the 40PA decision. We do want to confirm to you – we are financially sound and will continue to organize our community response to keep our community green, whole and healthy. We will do it respectfully by identifying costs as we see them and raising dollars for them. Should things ever change, you’ll hear from us. In the meantime, your donation today sends ClubLink a message it needs to hear – RESPECT OUR 40% AGREEMENT. SAVE OUR KANATA GREENSPACE.
What’s coming up as we head into summer?
We are always working with our experts to plan ahead in our campaign of opposition, identify the work and costs involved and then, of course, raise the necessary funds.
Here’s what we see in the month or so ahead
- May 26 – ClubLink Response due
- June ? – Release of the Labrosse 40PA decision
- June late/July early – Town Hall Information Meeting Live in person? Virtual? Hybrid? More soon!
Our 2nd Annual Chip In For Greenspace raised over $42,000 to fight ClubLink
Thank you for a phenomenal day and event!
Here’s Terry Matthews’ welcome video message from The Brookstreet and The Marshes. He was out of town but wanted to remind everyone why greenspace and the KGPC matter.
We cannot say THANK YOU enough to all of our other sponsors, donors and golfers for supporting our event. Live and Silent Auctions in combination with course contests made for a fun day. The Brookstreet meal was again fantastic! Even the weather was perfect! Enjoy it… pictures here!
Before we close, the KGPC asks you to consider supporting all of our sponsors when you can. Most are local businesses. Their donations make your donations go further. And finally, the KGPC wants to thank its Golf Committee volunteers… it would be impossible without you.
OUR CHIP IN FOR GREENSPACE SPONSORS
So, let’s keep fundraising! Give Tru Earth products a try and help support the KGPC! Three Days Only!!!!
Reduce your plastic use with their eco-friendly, Canadian-made laundry detergents, cleaning products and more. From May 23 – 25, the KGPC will earn 30% on all purchases made thru our special fundraising link instead of the regular 20%.
Septic-safe, they’re perfect for taking to the cottage. Premium cleaning products with zero waste that are free of harsh chemicals. They even have NEW dishwashing detergent.
You must order thru this link to support the KGPC.
We’re into the May 24 weekend. We hope you have great plans and the rain, almost inevitable on this long weekend in Canada for some strange reason, is fleeting.
Reach out with your questions and concerns. We’re always pleased to chat, clarify and share what we know.
Stay in this with us. We’re better together!
Barbara
Barbara Ramsay
Chair, Kanata Greenspace Protection Coalition
T – 613-725-4345
E – chair@ourkanatagreenspace.ca