CHRISTMAS LETTER, Dec. 24, 2011

Hello Folks,

I just wanted to touch base with everyone before the new year and try to catch people up on some of what has been going on. This has been a great year in many positive ways for the OLA. Landowner members have won 2 great victories against the OSPCA in Eastern Ontario and one in Central Ontario and are poised to win another one. The wins have forced the head of the OSPCA, at an OFA meeting, to say that the OSPCA would not enter property that was posted with an OLA - Back Off sign without a warrant.

Mark Tijssen, famous for buying and killing a pig with a friend, near Ottawa, had all charges dropped by the MNR, after 2 years of malicious prosecution. His potential fine was $100,000. Bob Mackie, is in Ontario Superior Court using the Land Patent Grants to defend his property against the NEC (Niagara Escarpment Commission) and people who were in the room said his lawyer, Heather Divine, did us all proud in his defense. The Peat farmers are also in court, charged with farming peat and lawyer Ian Donnell, has done a great job with the patent grants in his defense. We have had several smaller wins with the Conservation Authorities in eastern Ontario with the help of lawyer, Terrance Green who has challenged the CA's on their own legislation which it seems, many CA officials, don't know.

Liz Marshall, the OLA researcher, has been instrumental in many of these cases, providing landowners with much of the case law that was needed and interpretation of acts and regulations to help them defend themselves. But we are far from done. As we head into the new year, we have several landowners in eastern Ontario who have been charged with disturbing a wetland. Their crime: cleaning a ditch in their farm fields.

Other great news this year was the election of Jack MacLaren (the former president of the OLA) to Toronto as a conservative MPP, to join Randy Hillier as they try to put our issues front and center with the provincial government. On a sadder note, we lost one of our greatest supporters in the person of Bert Werry and he will be greatly missed.

Today, Christmas Eve, I got a call from Blaine Lewis from Grey Bruce Landowners with a story of a man whose municipality decided that his garage/shed didn't conform with their property standards bylaw, and took it upon themselves to demolish it and remove it. This is unacceptable on private property. People need to be educated as to their rights and taught or helped to defend themselves. The OLA cannot provide money for defense cases but we can get you a lot of information to help you. Again, Liz Marshall our researcher has proven to be a "super sleuth" at finding and understanding legislation and how it affects us.

Please forward this to anyone in your group with email and if possible print off for anyone who might be interested who doesn't have email.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Tom Black
President
Ontario Landowners Association