Haldimand - Norfolk ~ On-the-Block

Virtually all the land the province owns in Haldimand and Norfolk


"What most people didn't realize was that the Ontario government had also put virtually all the land the province owns in Haldimand and Norfolk counties on the table for consideration. Among the land, owned by the Ontario Realty Corporation; that was on the block were the Sprucedale Correctional Centre in Simcoe, the former OPP station on Highway 3, an assortment of salt domes throughout the area, a huge assembly of land near Dunnville, and the old Cayuga courthouse."

"This was all put on the table in negotiations," [Toby] Barrett says. "It's in Hansard."

"...the various salt domes and ministry of transportation yards along [Highway] No. 3 and the former OPP station," Barrett says, "they're perfect locations for smoke shacks, that kind of stuff."

Exerpts from Christie Blatchford's HELPLESS Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us. p. 113, Doubleday Canada, 2010.

Dr. Marshall's History of Haldimand County

"...The last and most vigorous defender of the rule of law was overturned and effectively silenced" writes Author Christie Blatchford in her most recent book, HELPLESS Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear And Anarchy, and How The Law Failed All of Us.

Blatchford praises Judge Marshall for trying to uphold the law during the Douglas Creek Estates occupation. After numerous attempts to restore law and order, Judge Marshall was found in an appeal court to have been "within his discretion to have kept calling the parties back to his court for updates, and to have asked the OPP and the government to report publicly on the exercise of their respective operational and prosecutorial authority. But, the judges said, Marshall had gone "further than he should have" in reviewing both OPP and government conduct."

Blatchford quotes Dr. Marshall's son, Albert, who is also a lawyer, "When this matter in Caledonia came before him, he had a choice. He could take the easy road and [accede] to the Crown's requests and ignore the rights of a few. If he had done this, no one would have faulted him....Instead, he chose to stand up for what he believed was right. When he did this, he was very much alone."

To read about the Haldimand County that the late Ontario Superior Court Judge David Marshall lived in and loved, pick up Dr. Marshall's History of Haldimand County, available at The Neat Little Bookshop in Cayuga.

A comprehensive and concise history of the area surrounding the Lower Grand River that empties into Lake Erie.

"On Man, on Nature, and on Human Life, Musing in solitude ~

"On Man, on Nature, and on Human Life,

Musing in solitude, I oft perceive

Fair trains of imagery before me rise,

Accompanied by feelings of delight

Pure, or with no unpleasing sadness mixed;

And I am conscious of affecting thoughts

And dear remembrances, whose presence soothes

Or elevates the Mind, intent to weigh

The good and evil of our mortal state."

The Recluse. William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850) Britain's Poet Laureate 1843 - 1850. (Photo: taken Nov. 1, 2010 lw)

~ HAPPY HALLOWE'EN

HELPLESS ~ Christie Blatchford

Christine Blatchford Book Signing today, Sat., October 30, 2:00 p.m.

at The Regional News, 345 Argyle St. (Hwy. #6)Caledonia.

One of the most heroic books I have read. HELPLESS, Christine Blatchford's Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and how the Law Failed All of Us.*

"This book is not about Aboriginal land claims. What HELPLESS is about is the failure of government to govern and to protect all its citizens equally" ~ Christie Blatchford.

You will recognize the names. The courageous individuals who stood tall when three levels of government and the OPP virtually abandoned the people of Caledonia ~ the late Ontario Superior Court Judge David Marshall, Mayor Marie Trainer, Gary McHale, MPP Toby Barrett ~ to name a few ~ and the brave area residents who stood firmly on the front-line.

Christine, thank you for writing the book.

*Doubleday Canada, 2010. Christie Blatchford writes for the Toronto Globe and Mail and can be heard regularly on CFRB.

For larger image, click on photo.

The subject of plagiarism came up recently in the bookshop.
According to American comic-book writer Peter David, one is often inspired by another writer's work.
"One can take a concept or an idea... and twist it around and transpose it and make it into your own. This takes work.
"It is also possible to take the aforementioned concept or idea or bit of business and put it in its entirety in your story. It's possible to do this unintentionally. This is called "happenstance."
And if you realize it while there's still time to do something about it, then either you excise it or else acknowledge the source. This is called "honesty."
"However, if you do it deliberately, hoping to pull a fast one, that's called "plagiarism," from the Latin root meaning "kidnapper." To put it mildly, it's frowned upon. To put it unmildly, it's actionable in a court of law."

Peter David, But I Digress, krause publications, 1994.

"Where do writers get ideas?
"They don't get ideas. Ideas come to them.
They come from the newspapers or books or T.V. shows. They come from movies, or friends. They come from happenstances that they witness or hear about second hand.
If I'm making it sound like ideas are a dime a dozen, well ---- they are. Probably less. It is so darned easy to get ideas, if you just set your mind properly."

Peter David (b. 1956) American Comic-book writer, But I Digress , krause publications, 1994.

(For larger image, dbl.click on photo.) Tomorrow: Plagiarism.