The Creemore
Echo
Friday, December 30, 2011
Vol. 11 No. 52
ANNUAL YEAR END ISSUE!!!!
thecreemoreecho.com
News and views in and around Creemore
Newsmaker of the Year:
THE PROTESTER by Sara Hershoff Very much in keeping with the social mood throughout the world, Creemore and area residents insisted on having their voices heard by political leaders and big business in 2011. Motivated by applications for wind turbines within Clearview and the threat of the Highland Companies’ mega quarry in Melancthon Township, this community transformed from peaceable grumblers into active, engaged and outspoken protesters determined to affect change. In the same year that the Arab spring blossomed and Wall Street was occupied, this neighbourhood planned and engaged in public actions very much in keeping with the rural cultural traditions of the area. From tractor parades to feasts for the masses, local protesters took notes from the success of the Site 41 victory two years ago and through ingenuity, perseverance and resourcefulness, worked to get their message out at the local, national and
international level. The first signs of a year full of protest were raised on April 26 during a mandated public information meeting held by the Highland Companies in Hornings Mills. The multinational company, backed by a Boston-based hedge fund and proposing a 2,300 acre quarry, was met by hundreds of people, some carrying slogans like “Purity vs. Profit,” “Taters not Craters” and “Stop the Mega Quarry.” From there the movement grew. Donna Baylis of Dunedin read about the mega quarry after that meeting and it sealed her fate as a protester. “I heard about it and I just knew this was just so wrong,” said Baylis. Her desire to protect the land, water and community lead her into a world she never anticipated being a part of. In the months since, she has committed 40 to 50 hours a week to the cause, both as a member of North Dufferin Agriculture and Community Taskforce (NDACT) and through (See “The Echo” on page 2)
Protesters abounded this year, and they came in all sizes!
Volunteer of the Year: NORMA FRIEST
Norma Friest, with Kathy Whitley and this year’s Kindergarten “A” class.
by Brad Holden The Creemore Echo’s tradition of picking a “Volunteer of the Year” always presents us with a dilemma. Every year in Creemore there are outstounding acts of volunteerism (for instance, Laurie Copeland’s organizing of two inaugural and wildly successful festivals this year) but on the other hand, this town is chock full of people who have been giving their time generously for years and years and years. (See “The Echo” on page 10) Serving Mulmur & The Creemore Hills for 35 years
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