Thank you. Ladies & Gentlemen.  Preserving this significant portion of the Upton Farmlands as green space for public use and in perpetuity is a testimony  to vision and cooperation.

A hundred years from now, when the Charlottetown area takes in half of Queens County, people will say, “where would we be without Upton Farm?”, just as we say today, – “where would we be without Victoria Park”.

When thousands of buildings have been built and torn down again, the Upton Farm will still be there in all its splendor and more valuable than ever.

The support for preserving this land has been extraordinary and enduring right from 2,000 people signing petitions three years ago to joining in with e-mails and calls later.

Many groups such as the Shellfishers’ Association, the Women’s Institute, Island Trails, the Rural Beautification Society, the Island Nature Trust and others supported  us.

Many hands and many minds have worked to reach this day.  I want to pay particular tribute to our small working group. We have met almost weekly for 2 ½ years, written thousands of e-mails and attended endless meetings.

Laurie McBurney, Kathy Kennedy, Cheryl Stead, Dianne Bradley, Katherine McQuaid, Jan Rankin-Collie and Heidi Hyndman are those dedicated and loyal people.

As well, we are indebted to our spouses and families for their interest, help and patience.

We also want to applaud Mayor Lee and City Council for their vision and courage early on.  Their support, along with that of both Government and Opposition Members of the Legislature, convinced Canada Lands Corporation to take a second look at the use of this beautifully situated land.

We commend Canada Lands Corporation for striking a Consultation Committee consisting of representatives from the City, the Province, CLC and our Network from which sprang the agreement announced here today.

There are only winners in this agreement.  The Bio-Science Campus, when designed well, will be compatible and will be a very attractive home for this concept.

The City will retain a valuable tax asset within City limits, along with having a green, impressive and memorable entrance to the Capital.

Canada Lands Corporation has fulfilled its mandate, both with regards to disposing of an asset, as well as listening to the community.

It has been a pleasure working with the Premier and government officials on this agreement, and in particular, noticing their understanding of the importance of securing preservation of this land in perpetuity.

I want to thank Premier Ghiz and Dr. Mayne and other government officials for respectful and courteous discourse throughout. It was a pleasure, thank you.

We look forward to continued pleasant cooperation as we work on the formation of the Upton Farm Trust. The full agreement can be found on our website at

In closing, I want to thank each and every one who helped in any way in accomplishing this great goal.
I hope that Upton Farm will give the citizens of this City and Province pleasure to the end of time. Let’s enjoy —–