Guelph queers speak out against police violence

shailagh keaney — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 23:47:08 +0000

An interview with Fierce and Fabulous folks

Below is an interview with three people who were targeted by University of Guelph campus police last month. Each have charges arising from the incident. See Court solidarity for queers in Guelph to learn about their solidarity call-out for April 19.
Answers to the questions below were compiled by a third party.

Can you tell me about what happened that night at the UofG campus?

A tale of two sites

shailagh keaney — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:34:35 +0000

Drawing the connections between the HCBP occupation and Site 41

A summer of action
At the end of a summer of activity and action, a 675-acre tract of land in the south end of Guelph rests relatively quiet now. It has won a one year break from the threat of development despite remaining a proposed construction site for what the City of Guelph is calling the "Hanlon Creek Business Park" (HCBP). The site is home to a rare Old Growth forest, a Provincially Significant Wetland, the Paris-Galt moraine, a vital drinking water recharge zone, and a threatened species called the Jefferson Salamander.
About a 3 hour drive north of Guelph exists another place that has seen a lot of action. This place in Simcoe County is called Site 41, and is the location for a proposed garbage dump. It sits directly above the Alliston Aquifer, which is an important source of clean drinking water in the area.
Despite the distance between them, the two sites have seen comparable public outcry and their respective occupation efforts that have brought people together to successfully oppose the developments.
After months of city hall meetings, rallies and education campaigns, the Guelph opposition to the HCBP was not heeded by the City and the construction of the HCBP looked like it was going to go ahead. This was thrown into question on July 27th when, in the early morning, roughly 60 people arrived and set up an occupation camp - complete with a kitchen, shade structure and composting toilet system.