December 13, 2007

Ms. Kirsten Connor

Upton Farm Preservation Network

59 Queen Elizabeth Drive

Charlottetown, PE CIA 3A8

 

Dear Ms. Connor:

Thank you for your recent letter and your ongoing concern for the future of Upton Farm property. I understand that you have been in contact with officials from my office on this matter on different occasions.

Over the last number of months, we have made presentations to officials in the Canada Lands Company to convey the concerns expressed by many around the potential loss of green space at Upton Farm to proposed residential development.

Based upon input from a number of groups, Canada Lands Company has agreed, as you know, to a moratorium on the development of the property while a broader stakeholder consultation process is undertaken. We have been assured by officials from Canada Lands Company that these consultations will include, among other groups, the Province, Upton Farm Preservation Network, and the City of Charlottetown. The Province will be represented by Tracey Cutcliffe, my Deputy Minister of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour.

It is my hope that this process produces an outcome that all stakeholders can benefit from as efforts are made to secure green space opportunities for Islanders.

[Signed]

Robert Ghiz

Premier of Prince Edward Island

 

c.c. Tracey Cutcliffe, Communities Cultural Affairs and Labour

c.c. Robert Rowland, Canada Lands Company

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As you can see from the above letter from PEI Premier Robert Ghiz, Canada Lands has declared a moratorium on development of the Upton Farmlands  pending discussions with stakeholder groups.

This may possibly be good news, but PLEASE DO NOT relax your efforts to save this property as green space.

This is simply a moratorium, not a donation of the taxpayer-purchased property back to the residents of PEI, to whom it rightly belongs.

Premier Ghiz and his government appear to be in support of the efforts of the Upton Farm Preservation Network and its supporters, but IT IS VITAL to let people know that Canada Lands has neither wiithdrawn its application to develop the south side of this property into a mega housing subdivision nor has it said it will maintain the Upton Farmlands as green space.

Please continue your support of the effort to save the Upton Farmlands as green space!