MSB NOT FOR SALE!

It is too bad that over the last 10 years the citizens of Acton and all of Halton Hills have had to stand up and fight to retain THEIR school field. While the overwhelming majority understood the fundamental wrongness of the Town having to buy land we had already paid for, there are always some who say don’t buy. Well frankly, I do not buy their argument.
The citizens of Acton paid for the land in the late 1950’s for both the Acton High School and the MZ Bennett school site. It was common at that time that the Town ran the schools and bought the land and assisted in the building. Only through the creation of the Halton County School board and later the Halton District School Board (HDSB) did the Town lose control of the lands. In fact we legally had to give the new School Boards all assets with the schools at no charge.
In early 2000 the HDSB decided to declare part of the MSB site as surplus to their needs. With the goal to sell it. As you can imagine the people of Acton were furious and quickly rallied around the site. Petitions were signed, signs posted and people proudly wore the MSB not for sale Buttons.

Our trustee at the time, Board Chair Ethel Gardiner understood the issue and immediately went to work to save the land. She spent many hours on the phone to the residents who had called and even reached out to make sure the Councillors knew what was being worked on. When a former Mayor suggested the Town buy it, she quickly agreed as to “Why, we all ready own it.” She spoke passionately to the Board as to how the High School site is undersized, how High School students use the MSB fields and how the earlier Board decision of joining the 2 schools was not to have an impact on the site. The Board listened to her and the impassioned arguments presented by former trustee Arlene Bruce and then regional Councillor Rick Bonnette. Three busloads of residents filled the chamber and all were ecstatic when the vote came and we had won. Or so we thought.

In January 2009 we found out that they were planning on selling it again. Unlike in 2000 we found out after the board had passed it. We also found out that both Halton Hills trustees supported it. Even more surprising was the Acton trustee professed to have no knowledge or memory of what had happened 9 years earlier.

All of the trustees tried to hide behind the skirt of the then Education Minister Wynne and the directive of the government. Mayor Bonnette asked her about MSB and she indicated that it was not government policy for them to sell off land like MSB. The School Board insisted it was.

On a cold family day in 2009, over 300 people gathered at a rally at the school site, young old, long time residents, new residents and representation from all wards in Halton Hills stood up and told the school board it was wrong. Over 5,000 people signed a petition and the MSB not for sale signs once again appeared in windows around town.
The people felt betrayed and were angry that this had happened again. One Senior told me “I hope it is settled this time as I am too old to fight again.” They were angry that an Acton trustee could say it was “not a big deal is we lost a trustee.”
Despite the assurances of a previous Chair and Board that had MSB being removed from the list, despite the widespread anger of the citizens and over 50% signing a petition opposing the sale. Despite the fact both Acton High School and MSB actively using the site, despite the fact that Acton is green belted and can’t easily add parkland due to provincial legislation. The school Board ploughed ahead and declared it surplus.

We saw a half-hearted effort to save it from the trustee who was supposed to represent Acton. The trustee who was elected to represent Georgetown said she was voting “For Georgetown” when she cast her vote. Where the hell did they think the money was going to come from?

After many months of negotiating last night the Town passed a bylaw to purchase the site, not the 2.64 acres originally offered but over 5 acres, with a licence agreement for 21 years for another portion of the site.

Mayor Bonnette and the whole Council have shown great leadership in purchasing the land but it was not easy. The over $1,000,000 we have to spend was not budgeted for and means we will have to shuffle priorities in future budgets.

But it does mean we have saved the school board from themselves.

This whole exercise of MSB and the fact the school board has shown to me that maybe the Board should not be trusted with public assets. Maybe the land and schools should be owned by the Region or the Town as we treat public land much better.

It also demonstrated to me that our trustees let us down. By not remembering such a lightening rod issue or not thinking people would be upset is wrong. By looking at only voting for your ward is not right. By saying you are acting in the interest of your constituents when you forced the town to spend tax dollars for public land is wrong.

The Board has allowed a public asset like Speyside school to rot. I know of people who asked about buying it. The school board sat silent. They will end up selling it for a lot less as a vacant lot then if they had sold it as a viable building. They stopped using it 20 years ago.

We have elections for the school Board in 4 weeks. Look very carefully at all the candidates. Ask them the questions. Make up your mind. I know I will not be supporting the incumbent who ran in my area the last time.