ward3brighton.ca

A group of Charlottetown residents are working very hard to have Canada Lands Corp. change course on its plans for the Upton Farms property, plans that were given all the necessary approvals from Charlottetown City Council last year. I attended a public meeting at the Benevolent Irish Society last week. Provincial MLAs Wayne Collins and Wes MacAleer were in attendance along with approximately 75 residents from around the city who want the federal land to be transitioned to, and preserved as a park area rather than a 300+ unit subdivision that could be underway within a matter of weeks. I was the only city representative at the meeting which was unfortunate because I was only able to convey very limited knowledge of the history of this issue as I was not a member of council when this all took place.

The rest of council had the benefit of hearing from the group at a Commitee of the Whole Council meeting last Wednesday night. Although it’s very late in the game to be attempting a turnaround on this issue, there seems to be a genuine will on the part of council to speak to Canada Lands and ask them to reconsider in light of the (apparent) public concensus on the future of this property. Part of the process that brought us to this point involved public consultations but many people felt they were never given the option of having the property remain green.

Personally, I support keeping Upton Farms as a green space. If you do too, the group could use your support. Check out their website at http://uptonfarm.wordpress.com/, or call 892-3839.