Letter to the Editor - Barrie Examiner

I sent the following to the Examiner today - we'll watch for it!

We'd like to thank Barrie and Simcoe County residents for the positive response to the concerns raised regarding SCDSB's proposal to clear cut 1.4 acres of mixed woodlot on the grounds of Bear Creek Secondary School and replace it with a practice sports field.
Much has happened since we were first alerted and we wanted to continue to share the story. Response to the petition (online version with comments - http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/SaveBearCreekForest/index.html) continues to grow and from this, three stewardship issues have been recognized. First, environmental. With a robust Environmental Policy in place, why this it is not feasible to preserve this woodlot? Second, financial. One might infer from this plan that all the other schools in the County have the requisite sports facilities and that this is the best way to spend the limited resources. Also, will the net annual operating expense increase arising from the new field maintenance be part of the current funding or is it going to result additional funds being needed? Finally, educational. We recognize that Bear Creek is overpopulated, but how does an additional field serve the entire student population?We are concerned by the lack of options being considered. Why not expand the use of the existing field? Why not replace the existing gravel track with a rubber surfaced track? Why not use the existing public soccer field 400 meters from the school? Why not consider placing the field atop the pipeline right of way that crosses the school property?

Letter to the Editor - From The Barrie Examiner

Thanks to Helliana Van Erp-Rothenburg for the supportive Letter to the Editor in Wednesday's Examiner. If you've not read it, here's the link:

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=616429&catname=Editorial&classif=

Did you know....

A healthy tree stores 13 pounds of carbon annually - or 2.6 tons per acre each year. An acre of trees absorbs enough CO2 over one year to equal the amount produced by driving a car 26,000 miles....

The Bear Creek Forest is 1.4 acres in size which means that it stores 3.64 tons of CO2 each year - equaling driving a car 36,400 miles! This is the same distance as driving 303 round trips from Barrie to Toronto!

Barrie Advance

Leigh Blenkhorn from the Barrie Advance was just in the area. She got some information, the address for the blog and petition, and some photos. It was a pleasure speaking with her. The article will run in Friday's edition. Watch for it!

Watch for more information

A reporter from the Barrie Advance will be visiting the site today - watch for the article in this week's edition.

If you're interested in more....

If you'd like to get more invovled, feel free to send me an email r_m_gerbrandt@rogers.com and we'll add you to our regular mailing list.

This photo was taken July 12th, 2007 at the exact site the school wishes to demolish.

Online Petition Now Available

In addition to the paper based petition that is now circulating, we've initiated an online petition to extend our reach. You'll find it here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/SaveBearCreekForest/

Email the link to your friends, let's Save Bear Creek Forest!

Thanks For the invite

Rob,

This is a great idea for people to share their thoughts.

I will keep you all informed on any news from the City. By the way, where did you get that map?

John Brassard
Councillor, Ward 7
www.johnbrassard.com

Patrick Brown, MP Supports Saving the Bear Creek Forest

Patrick Brown took some time on Sunday, July 15th to visit and hear from local residents about their concerns for the Bear Creek Forest. He was very supportive, signed the Petition and also will be providing a letter of support.

Thanks Patrick!

Update Email From Diane Firman, School Board Trustee

Information from School Board Trustee Diane Firman

John Brassard
Councillor Ward 7
City of Barrie
705-739-4217
www.johnbrassard.com
From: John Brassard Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2007 10:54 AMTo: 'Firman, Diane'Subject: RE: Bear Creek Secondary School field concerns

Diane,

Hope you had a good holiday.

I can appreciate the increase in demand and the over-utilization at Bear Creek because I hear about the impacts of it often from those residents who live in proximity to the school.

City of Barrie planning staff have been told that an additional amendment to the site plan is forthcoming that will include a practice field in an area identified as a significant woodlot. I am sure that you can appreciate the concern among residents and my concern about the possibility of cutting trees down for this purpose. I’ll await further information from you on this.

Regards,

John Brassard
Councillor Ward 7
City of Barrie
705-739-4217
www.johnbrassard.com
From: Firman, Diane [mailto:dfirman@scdsb.on.ca] Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2007 7:30 PMTo: John BrassardSubject: Bear Creek Secondary School field concerns

John,
Thank you for bringing your concerns and those of residents to my attention. My apologies for not getting back to you sooner as I have been away on holidays.
Bear Creek school was built in 2000 with a capacity of 1215 students. It is currently running at a 160% utilization rate with over 1900 students. Since opening of the school, demands for program facilities has increased. Constructing a field at Bear Creek to meet the school’s growing programming, extra-curricular and community use needs is an option being considered.
Staff are in the assessment stage looking at a variety of alternatives relating to the Bear Creek grounds. Part of the current staff assessment has included having an arborist review and catalogue tree growth throughout the property. Building an additional field to meet this growing school's programming, extra-curricular and community use needs is one option being considered at this time but no decision has been made and any proposed site changes would require review by the City of Barrie.
The Simcoe County District School Board has a special responsibility to take a leadership role in environmental awareness and action based on environmental principles. It is the policy of the SCDSB that environmental principles be included in all board programs, policies and procedures. Environmental Policy 2325 can be accessed at http://www.scdsb.on.ca/articles/policies/2325R_EnvironmentalPolicy.pdf
Again, thank you for sharing your concerns. I will discuss them with available staff this week and get back to you with my findings. As stated earlier, no decisions have been made. School staff, council and community input toward decision making is both invited and encouraged.
Regards,
Diane Firman
Trustee
Simcoe County District School Board
Barrie Wards 7, 8, 9, 10
Tel: (705) 725-4679
Email: dfirman@scdsb.on.ca

Contact Information

Here's a list of email addresses - send your thoughts and concerns to them. Encourage them to be the environmental and financial stewards that they should be!

Politicians -
Jeff Lehman - jlehman@barrie.ca
Lynn Strachan - lstrachan@barrie.ca
Jerry Moore - jmoore@barrie.ca
Rodney Jackson - rjackson@barrie.ca
Michael Prowse - mprowse@barrie.ca
Andrew Prince - aprince@barrie.ca
Mike Ramsay - mramsay@barrie.ca
Barry Ward - bward@barrie.ca
John Brassard - jbrassard@barrie.ca
Alex Nuttal - anuttall@barrie.ca
Dave Aspen - mayorsoffice2@barrie.ca
Joe Tascona - joe_tasconaco@ontla.ola.org
Patrick Brown - BrownPa0@parl.gc.ca

School Board Trustees -

Diane Firman - dfirman@scdsb.on.ca

Welcome!

Welcome to our Blog.

We hope to use this to create awareness and provide information to residents of Barrie and Sincoe County Ontario regarding the planned clear cutting of a 1.4 acre mixed woodlot on the site of Bear Creek Secondary School.