Tuesday, March 8, 2011

OMB Pre-Hearing Over Very Fast

Dates for the actual hearing are scheduled for 9 days: Tuesday, June 14th at 10 a.m. till Friday, June 24, 2011. 


Mr. Rossi, the OMB Chairman, was fast and efficient. R. Hauser, the solicitor for walmart did not attend. Mr. Rossi was not impressed by her absence. He said; " I expect all parties to attend. This is a serious weighty issue for this community." 


Later he told Mr. Kagan, (the lawyer for Stratford Bear Dev. Corp. working with walmart) to tell Ms. Hauser (walmart lawyer): "Any adjournments...anything out of the ordinary...it is denied!" 


The hearing is about the interim control by-law and the nature of retail.

J.D. Graham of the City Centre Committee, Larry Baswick and I are signed up as participants for the June hearings. We will be speaking before the board. 

There is the option of a citizen's group, especially if incorporated, of being granted full party status in the hearings with the power to call and question witnesses.  Any group available for this civic task? 

Monday, March 7, 2011

IF YOU LOVE STRATFORD

The blogspot 'If You Love Stratford' is a great place to read about the history of Starford's struggle with walmart.

http://ifyoulovestratford.blogspot.com

OMB Pre-Hearing Tuesday March 8th at 10 a.m. City Hall

Round Two with the giant corporation walmart for Stratford. More than ever we must stand and protect our planning rights, our ability to determine our commercial structure.


Round Two the giant corporation walmart against our lovely and still charming City of Stratford.

We have to stand even stronger. Colin Hefferon and the OMB agreed with the City of Stratford's Official Plan that in order to protect the health and vitality of our downtown core, any large new commercial development should be located in the downtown or west end. This is a struggle for our rights to determine our own growth and development. There are already too may empty storefronts in the core. This is a struggle to protect the heart of our city.It is the health and strength of our downtown core that is at stake.  The fight is about the very heart of our community and a city's right to keeping planning issues under local control.

See article by Paul Cuff of Waterloo:
http://waterloo.openfile.ca/waterloo/file/2011/03/walmart-vs-stratford