Charlottetown City Hall

On Jan. 30, 2008 the Council of the City of Charlottetown met with members of the Upton Farm Preservation Network.

The Council asked the UFPN for its opinion on the use of Upton Farm as a potential concert site. The UFPN was told that the concert, if held, would take place on the portion of the Upton Farm located on the north side of the Trans Canada Highway. (This is not the Beach Grove Home side, as has been erroneously reported in some media, but the side bordered by the Trans Canada Hwy and the Upton Road.)

The Council requested a reply from the UFPN as soon as possible, as apparently a decision on where to hold a major concert on PEI is very close to being made.

This was our reply to City Council:

Feb. 1, 2008

Dear Mayor [Clifford] Lee and Council:

After much consideration of your request regarding using Upton Farm as a concert venue our reply must be as follows:

1. Since the working group is only a fraction of the Network, it would be presumptuous, on such an important issue as this, to take a stand without extensive and time-consuming consultation.

2. The Network has not been approached by Canada Lands Corporation for an opinion on this matter, even though the first of a series of consultation meetings took place Jan. 31, 2008, and this issue did not arise.

In view of the above and given that a) the primary focus of the Network is the ‘long term’ preservation of the land as greenspace, and b) we have been assured the current proposal to use the land for a concert venue is a ‘short term, one off’ proposal, the feeling of the Upton Farm Preservation Network working group is that we should remain neutral on this matter.

Again, we want to forward our sincere thanks for the gracious reception we received, as well as for your expressed commitment to continued support and co-operation, regardless of our decision.

Standing together we can reach our goal of preserving the Upton Farm.

Most sincerely and on behalf of the Upton Farm Preservation Network,

Kirsten Connor