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COOLEY CEMETERY UPDATE # 5
The OMB started the hearing
on October 19th, 2010 in Waterdown, On., The Developers presented a new plan
and subsequently, the City asked for more time to consider the changes and any
ramifications, if any, to the original plan.
The OMB Chair granted additional time until the
25th, October 2010.
At this meeting, the City and the Developer took
the opportunity to meet privately for the day and announced significant
progress had been made to resolve most issues, including the Cemetery. In
fact, the developer has agreed to re-jig the road that would have gone through
the Pioneer Cemetery. [ this was strongly suggested in 2004 ]. It would appear
that the continuous pressure applied by Families, Neighbours and
Historical/Genealogical Societies to preserve and protect this Loyalist
Pioneer Cemetery, has won the day. This is a very positive move but the final
say is with the Chair of the OMB.
Suffice to
say that negotiations have gone well and the hearing has been adjourned to
allow City staff to take a settlement to Council for approval. In the mean
time, the hearing will reconvene on November 8th to
specifically deal with the cemetery issue. The Board is requiring anyone who
wishes to speak regarding the cemetery issue to do so on that day. On
December 20th, the Board will sit to hear the remaining evidence on
the merits of the plan. I and many others will be speaking on this day
regarding the Cemetery.
Subsequent
to this hearing, the Ontario Historical Society is still spearheading a
Petition to revive bill 149 so that families do not have to spent time and
resources to continually fight developers to preserve and protect our
Cemeteries. Keep sending in the Petitions with names and signatures.
Thanks for
your help
Rick Hatt
Additional Note from Rick: November 4, 2010
Re Petitions:
Your petitions were delivered November 2, 2010
with the first reading of Bill 126 by Jim Brownell MPP for
Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry.
I have enclosed a pic of Jim Brownell receiving
these partitions [ pic courtesy of Rob Laverty ] just before Jim invited us
to the Gallery to be introduced while he read and signed the petitions and
introduced Bill 126 - The Protection & Preservation of Cemeteries in
Ontario. We must continue pressuring our MPP's to support Bill 126 @ 2nd &
3rd reading
In the picture from L to R
Steve Clendenan - VP Finance for the Ontario
Historical Society
Margorie Stuart - President of the Ontario
Genealogical Society
Diane Clendenan - Cemetery Volunteer for the
Ontario Historical Society
Rick Hatt - Hatt/Cooley Cemetery
Representative
Cathy Hatt - Hatt/Cooley Cemetery Representative
Jim Brownell - MPP Stormont-Dundas-South
Glengarry
Rob Laverty - Executive Director of the Ontario
Historical Society
Additional Petitions can be mailed to Rob
Laverty:
Ontario Historical Society
34 Parkview Ave.,
Willowdale, On.,
M2N 3Y2
Thank you
Rick Hatt
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