Protest never tasted so sweet

Bill Tremblay Oct 17, 2011 - 10:30 AM

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Minister orders EA for Melancthon quarry Highlighting farmers plight Highland has to resolve 2,051 concerns regarding Melancthon quarry plan 'Taters not craters' Food security advocates join Melancthon quarry fight Adam Black never thought he would see the population of Melancthon swell to nearly 10 times its norm. However, Foodstock overwhelmed the potato farmer as 28,000 people flooded his hometown on Sunday (Oct. 16), braving rain, intense wind and hail to show their opposition to The Highland Companies plans to turn 2,316 acres of farmland into an aggregate mine. I didnt think there would be this many people, said Black, whose familys farm is adjacent to the Foodstock site. The family refused to sell their land to The Highland Company. My family has been here for three generations and we didnt want to sell, Black said, adding he doesnt want to see similar farmland disappear. Ive been here my whole life, I dont want to see it go. World-renowned chef Michael Stadtlnder, who created the notion of Foodstock, said the event is exactly what he wanted. It really shows that we are not just by ourselves thinking about this quarry, Stadtlnder said. The decision makers must see there is a lot of resistance and people care about land and water. Foodstock marks a new partnership between chef and farmer according to Stadtlnder. We are standing united and support our farmers, he said. When we stand up we can actually do something. This is the idea today. While about 100 chefs from across Canada prepared a variety of dishes throughout a forested area, Canadian musicians lent their voice to the protest. Youve all heard about the Melancthon Mega-quarry, well, youre at ground

zero, Jeremy Taggart, Foodstock emcee and drummer for Our Lady Peace, said. Taggart urged the crowd to ensure the provincial government doesnt backtrack on their announcement for an Environmental Assessment of the proposed quarry lands. They must stick to their promise and we as the people will make sure they do, Taggart said. Folk artist Hayden Desser ended a three-year performing hiatus to voice his disapproval to The Highland Companies plan. The situation angered me, Desser said. I didnt want to just sit by and not do anything to support the cause against the evil quarry people. Desser applauded the culinary efforts of the chefs who tackled massive lines of hungry people. Its absolutely delicious, Desser said. The amount of people here is really wonderful. Sarah Harmer compared the event to the worldwide occupy protests that sprouted the same weekend. This is really timely with the occupy movements, Harmer said. People are standing up for ecology. Its my opportunity to occupy my humanity. Others made similar comparisons between Foodstock and the growing global occupy movement. Alex Protas, who drove to Melancthon from Kitchener, said The Highland Companies plan is an example of how free trade betrays the average citizen. How is free trade beneficial to the average individual? Free trade seems to be beneficial to corporations, Protas said. This is an instance of a corporation that has purchased a lot of land and for what usage? The Highland Companies' farming operations produces about 100 million pounds of potatoes a year. "Even with an operational quarry, our agriculture production capacity will not be impacted,"Lindsay Broadhead, The Highland Companies spokesperson said. "We continue to stress, maintaining the quality of the water and the environment is our priority." While Foodstock was a pay-what-you-can event, a $10 donation was suggested

before entering the grounds. Funds raised throughout the day will be donated to the North Dufferin Agricultural and Community Taskforce (NDACT) for legal fees needed to fight the quarry proposal. Its simply amazing. I never dreamed there would be this many people, NDACT volunteer Mary Lynne Armstrong said. NDACT now faces the task of maintaining the momentum set by Foodstock. It will be a lot of work, but we have to keep going, Armstrong said. The quarry has to be stopped. The inaugural Foodstock may have ended, but organizer Nanci Malek hinted at the possibility of the rally returning next year. If we had 28,000 people at the first one, were going to continue, Malek said.