1, Enbridge versus Indigenous Rights
2. Water champions
3. Boundary expansion
4. Environmental Commissioner
Enbridge versus Indigenous Rights
A Haudenosaunee engineer from Six Nations is the guest speaker at a Tuesday, June 27 public meeting in the council chambers at Hamilton City Hall. Todd Williams and a second indigenous man are facing over $25,000 in court-ordered payments to pipeline giant Enbridge Inc after the two men attempted to assert their treaty rights to monitor the company’s work along its Line 10 and Line 11 right-of-way across rural Hamilton. The 6:30 pm meeting is being organized by the Hamilton 350 Committee.
Water champions
Maude Barlow, the national chairperson of the Council of Canadians will speak this Thursday evening at 7 pm in the Hamilton Spectator auditorium on her new book – Boiling Point: Government Neglect, Corporate Abuse and Canada’s Water Crisis. Other speakers at the free public forum are ward one councillor Aidan Johnson and Anishnaabe writer and indigenous activist Danielle Boissoneau. In addition to the local chapter of the Council, the event is co-sponsored by Hamilton Blue Dot, Democracy Probe International, Wellington Water Watchers, the Bay Area Restoration Council, Environment Hamilton, Eco-Locke, the local National Farmers Union and the Hamilton 350 Committee.
Boundary expansion
The city has called community meetings and workshops for next week about a controversial boundary expansion onto farmland in upper Stoney Creek. The Elfrida Growth Area could consume up to 2500 acres for new residential development south and east of the intersection of Rymal Road and Upper Centennial Parkway. The community meetings are Wednesday, June 21 from 4-6 pm and 6:30 to 8:30 pm, while two workshops (which require pre-registration) are set for Thursday, June 22. The location is the Valley Park Recreation Centre on 970 Paramount Drive.
Environmental Commissioner
How dangerous is climate change and is the provincial government responding appropriately? Ontario’s environmental watchdog, Dr Dianne Saxe, will provide answers on Monday, June 26 at 7 pm at the Hamilton Central Library. Environment Hamilton and Faith and the Common Good are sponsoring Saxe, a lawyer with 40 years experience who reports directly to the Ontario legislature. Her most recent climate report provided a critical review of the cap and trade emissions policy being implemented by the provincial government.