By Vanessa Warren
January 30, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
An open letter to the LaSalle Park Marina Association (LPMA),
Last night I attended a public Consultation Meeting and Workshop for the City of Burlington’s 2014 budget.
Vanessa Warren on the right reading through the city budget workbook at a public consultation last night took exception the way the LaSalle Park Marina association tried to hijack the meeting. Ken Woodruff, former Burlington Green president, is on the left.
Full disclosure: I am a farmer in Burlington’s rural north, sit on the board of Burlington Green, and Chair the Rural Burlington Greenbelt Coalition. I had never attended a workshop like this before and to be sure, what got me off the couch and to the meeting was a desire to see that public transit, environmental sustainability and rural issues were being represented within the context of the City’s financial plan; but I also attended because I feel we all have a civic duty to ensure our municipality’s house is in order.
I prescribe to the belief that I cannot ask my government to be accountable to me, if I do not engage with them.
Upon arrival, an encouragingly large group of attendees were put into working groups around large tables, and instructed as to the evening’s ‘feedback’process. We were then given an opportunity to ask questions, and the first two or three queries from the group were salient, intelligent and budget-related; but when John Birch, president of the LaSalle Park Marina Association stood up, it quickly became clear that the meeting had been hijacked.
Some background. The wealthy boat owners at the LPMA, led by rhetorician John Birch, would like to expand their private harbor, currently occupying the waterfront of a public park and further, want the city to provide more funds beyond the $150,000 already given to them to start detailed designs before the environmental assessment challenge is resolved. The crux of the issue, as I and many others see it, is that the desired construction will almost certainly destroy the wintering grounds of 1/4 of Ontario’s Trumpeter Swan population; a population that has been crawling back from the brink of extinction. I would, and have, also publicly argued that there is no demonstrated need for this redundancy particularly in the face of the City’s fiscal concerns, and with a great deal more environmental assessment to come.
However, regardless of your position on the project IT WAS NOT AN AGENDA ITEM at this budget meeting. The LaSalle Park Marina Expansion is not even being considered in the 2014 budget, and yet, the LPMA thought it appropriate to use the workshop as an illegitimate soapbox for its cause.
Many, many people, citizens, City staff, and almost the entire City Council (with the exception of Councillor Blair Lancaster), devoted their time last night to be engaged in the messy process that is democracy. The workshop was well-attended, well-organized, and should have been much more fruitful; instead, we spent a devastating amount of utterly useless time being commandeered by a special interest group railroading a non-budgetary issue.
John Birch of the LaSalle Park Marina Association, on the left, going through his workbook.
John Birch and the LPMA: I find your case for public funding of a private marina totally without merit. However, if you believe it to have merit, and as a “joint venture”of the City of Burlington, then you must follow the public process as it has been laid out. Your project already hangs by a thread of legitimacy, and if you truly believe your cause is just, then you should promote it justly. Engage with the community and your council where appropriate, and where people who have a counterpoint may enter the dialogue as well. The guerilla tactics that you used so disrespectfully last night were disruptive and unprofessional, and from my perspective, only further eroded your project’s credibility.
I find it reprehensible that LPMA expects to have the use of a public park as well as the cost of the wave breaker funded by taxpayers. It is even more reprehensible that the mayor and town council support this idea. LaSalle is a public park it was paid for by taxpayers and for the use of the public, not the private playground for a particular special interest group that feels taxpayers should provide space and millions of dollars for their sole benefit. If boaters want a marina let them buy some land and pay for it themselves but leave the public parks alone!
“It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled sea of thought.”
– John Kenneth Galbraith
So many agenda, both apparent and hidden.
Some wish to position this as a zero sum game: “it’s either the swans or the marina.” That is wholly a misrepresentation of the facts – there is no reason not to have both.
The swans and marina operate at different times of the year. Those seasons do not overlap.
It is high time to celebrate both the swans and the marina. A Safe Harbour will enhance both.
LaSalle Park Marina is an Open Public Marina owned by the City of Burlington.
The not for profit, unpaid, all volunteer LaSalle Park Marina Association is the joint venture group that built, paid for, runs and maintains the marina under a JV with the City. Burlington wanted to own the marina when it was first conceived, and continues to want to own the marina.
At its heart, the Safe Harbour proposal is about public safety at the City’s facility. The proposed project will bring with it opportunities to enhance habitat for fish and waterfowl.
The construction level engineered design will quantify the habitat; project cost; and allow the scientific modeling to be done by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Ministry of Natural Resources.
Every other community on Lake Ontario has a Safe Harbour, either man made; or natural; or both that the Federal and or Province have co funded together with those Cities and Towns.
Why should Burlington not be entitled to a similar facility and consideration?
It will be the boaters who end up paying for Burlington’s portion.
The greater Burlington community and businesses will see ongoing benefit from having a proper Safe Harbour offshore of LaSalle, as has occurred with other communities.
The proposed Safe Harbour is entirely offshore of LaSalle Park in deep water.
Burlington is a waterfront community, boating is a part of a vibrant waterfront community.
So too are the swans and all other creatures a vibrant part of the community – yes, Burlington can have it all.
Thank you for your consideration.
John Birch, LPMA President
(Ms Warren: The above Marina photograph is a proprietary photo of LPMA’s, which has been used here without our expressed consent. But thank you for the free advertising)
Editor’s note: warren and Birch are both capable of civilized dialog and I expect that of both you on this site. Please end the flame throwing.
Thank you John.
When and if the Ministry decides that a part 2 EA is necessary, and when and if that EA is complete, and when and if all the erroneous information about the swans and about ‘habitat creation’ has been corrected and addressed, THEN we should have a discussion about using City and taxpayer monies to fund detailed design studies.
Editor; I simply continue to request reasonable discussion and dialogue through appropriate channels and at appropriate times – which I contend was not the City Budget meeting where the expansion was not an agenda item.
Ms. Warren: What a load of bombast and misinformed nonsense!
Both the LaSalle Park Marina and Burlington Boating & Sailing Club support safe boating, as well as conservation and wildlife habitat, and education and outreach through the sailing school, the disabled and other groups.
Environment Canada and experts throughout North America have indicated that the area of LaSalle Park is not the typical habitat for wintering swans, and that instead, ideal habitat would be described as a large open water marsh with abundant submerged aquatic plants for foraging. The swans are at LaSalle in winter, rather than further south where they should be, because they are being fed inappropriate food in large quantities. However, recently the swans have been seen eating road salt when the feeders don’t show up on very cold days, with is certainly detrimental to the health of the birds.
Be that as it may, boaters at LaSalle have great respect and care for the environment, wildlife and conservation.
Ms. Warren: What a load of bombast and misinformed nonsense!
– this comment is unnecessary
Both the LaSalle Park Marina and Burlington Boating & Sailing Club support safe boating, as well as conservation and wildlife habitat, and education and outreach through the sailing school, the disabled and other groups.
– this is great to hear but I’m concerned that boaters may not be the best sources of information regarding conservation.
Environment Canada and experts throughout North America have indicated that the area of LaSalle Park is not the typical habitat for wintering swans
– I spoke with many swan experts in person last week at the 5th international swan conference and none said anything regarding La Salle Park as a wintering ground. No one is studying the La Salle Park flock besides the biologists in the trumpeter swan restoration group. So I don’t know who these North American experts you are citing are?
, and that instead, ideal habitat would be described as a large open water marsh with abundant submerged aquatic plants for foraging.
– Lake Ontario IS a large body of water. And La Salle does have large amounts of SAV that the swans feed on as their main food source. The swans chose this wintering ground before supplemental feeding was used there for research purposes.
The swans are at LaSalle in winter, rather than further south where they should be, because they are being fed inappropriate food in large quantities.
Food is not the only reason the swans are there. This flock was founded from eggs from the Rock Mountain population of trumpeter swans in Alberta. This population underwent a genetic bottleneck in the 1800’s due to unregulated commercial harvest. From this bottleneck swans began undergoing shorter migrations and this trait has likely been maintained in the La Salle flock. I’m not saying that supplemental feeding doesn’t play a role but the experts cannot state exactly why the swans aren’t migrating, and it is likely a combination of factors not just feeding. Management decisions are being shifted from increasing swan abundance to increasing their range expansion and trying to achieve a more traditional migration below the 40th parallel but at this time it is unclear on how to achieve this. There is a lot of debate from experts on what should be done but it is clear that maintaining genetic diversity within the population is important and removing supplemental feeding all together likely isn’t the solution, especially when this population hasn’t yet learned to feed on agricultural grains.
However, recently the swans have been seen eating road salt when the feeders don’t show up on very cold days, with is certainly detrimental to the health of the birds.
So far we haven’t had any swan necropsies come back attributing this as a major factor, but it is concerning and will be monitored.
Be that as it may, boaters at LaSalle have great respect and care for the environment, wildlife and conservation.
The only reason I replied to this is because you are claiming that Ms. Warren is uninformed and as you put it “What a load of bombast and misinformed nonsense!” but when I read your “informed” reply it wasn’t accurate either.
In the end many Burlington citizens are not swan experts. And it shouldn’t be their decision on how to manage the trumpeter swans at La Salle. Wildlife management decisions should be left up to those who are educated and truly experts in the field. If removing supplemental feeding was necessary for the flock Environment Canada and the wildlife managers would make that call. This isn’t a decision that should be made by the city of Burlington because the location of the swans wintering grounds is an inconvenience to them. Best to leave the decisions regarding the re-introduction program and the management of the population to the true experts.
It’s interesting that Vanessa’s full disclosure forgot to mention that her ‘farm’ is an equestrian centre. This puts her dishing the boaters as ‘wealthy’ in a different light. Kind of like the ‘equestrian pot’ calling the ‘boat kettle’ black.
I know for a fact that the vast majority of the boaters at La Salle Park are working or retired people, who enjoy going out on the water as a recreational activity.
As far as allowing people to speak at an open public meeting, I think that’s the purpose. Considering that the meeting adjourned early, one can hardly consider it being hijacked.
Cheers,
Jan
Thank you for your comment Jan. I am wealthy in many, many ways that I am grateful for every day. I have the privilege of riding and working with horses every day, and I live amongst the embarrassment of riches that is my first-world life in Burlington Ontario.
My pointing out that the boaters were (also?) wealthy was not meant as a personal criticism, it was meant to express my frustration at the boater’s/LPMA’s recent financial requests of the City.
The LPMA has asked the City for FURTHER funding, prior to a possible part 2 EA. They have even requested that they would pay those funds back ONLY if the project went forward.
I think I would only be the ‘pot calling the kettle black’ if I asked the City and its taxpayers to fund the development of my farm.
I in no way begrudge the boaters or their chosen recreational activity; these per suits enrich our lives in many important ways.
Thanks again for your feedback.
I am a resident and owner in ward 6. As I understand it, the meeting was a public question/answer meeting to garnish ideas
from residents.
I also understand that John Birch did hijack this meeting for his and his marina agenda and thus interfered with the evening’s intent. One asks what John is guilty of?. He needs money and has to take every opportunity to spread his marina and break water agenda.
Oh yes! those “geese” that are being mentioned herein, are actually TRUMPETER SWANS and yes potentially harm could come to them along with other habitant birds in the marina area.
Letter writer’s have referred to
Where was Blair Lancaster? She is my ward rep. Is she not running in the next election?
Blair Lancaster was at a another committee meeting! I guess you don’t know the Public Meeting is for the Public not be highjacked by Councilors.
Editor’s note: Staff provide excellent support in explaining the details – the politicians can explain the policy. Those that I heard certainly didn’t High Jack anything. They did their jobs – rather well actually.
Well said, Ms. Warren.
You are doing an incredible job at demonstrating outstanding big-picture thinking, genuine concern and common sense for Burlington as a whole. But with Blair Lancaster’s notable absence that evening, how much more evidence do you need to know that your efforts are needed to protect the interests of the community…in your own Ward?
Run for office! You’d win by a landslide. You are already devoting plenty of time to “things that (should) matter” to the citizens of Burlington. With Marianne Meed Ward, you two would be unstoppable at making a positive difference for the entire City.
With admiration,
Stephanie
Slow down. We dont need self imposed policing by opposing opinion. What wrong is John Birch guilty of? I highly doubt John would harm the geese. Calm down and share in the process.
I was at the meeting, I’ll tell you what the wrong John and the others who are pushing for their vision of a bigger marinad did, it was to waste valuable time putting forth their marine break water agenda when it was not a budget issue and not on the agenda. Yes we do indeed need people to speak up when people hyjack a meeting for their own self interest. The geese have nothing to do with it. Perhaps it is John and company that should calm down and follow the process.