Protesters came out in force on a cold Saturday evening to pay their respects to 99 local wetlands that are losing their protected status under provincial Bill 23.
A cardboard casket sits on the steps of City Hall in Market Square, before protesters of Bill 23 carry it at the head of their protest march along the Moira River.
Almost 200 people attended the march.
The large crowd gathered outside Belleville City Hall in Market Square, bearing signs carrying the names of the various wetlands facing development, and slogans decrying Doug Ford and the provincial government’s choice to remove their protection.
Protester Rhonda Lummiss holds up her protest sign, comparing Doug Ford to the destructive monster Godzilla.
A few speakers addressed the crowd from the steps of City Hall, including Belleville Council member Chris Malette, chair of the city’s Green Task Force. Malette said that the province forced the legislation through against the wishes of municipal governments.
“It was rammed through in a very short period of time. It’s wrongheaded legislation. Every municipality in Ontario almost has said that. I don’t know any municipality that has come out on record to support this and we’re certainly opposed to it,” said Malette. “We will be making our thoughts known to Mr. Smith and Mr. Bresee and it’s just a really, really arrogant, egregious piece of legislation.”
Another speaker was the protest’s organizer, Lori Borthwick, president of the Bay of Quinte Green Party of Ontario. Lori reminded the crowd of not only the importance of wetlands for wildlife, but also how they benefit the people living in the area.
“The services they provide for our water table, cleaning and filtering the water, and keeping it like a sponge,” said Borthwick. “Basically giving us climate mitigation for extreme weather events. It will cost billions of dollars to recreate what wetlands do for free.”
Pallbearers David Matson (front left), Jillian Baker (front right), Tom Baker (rear left), and Ruth Hatton (rear right) lead the protest march down the riverside trail.
A small cardboard casket was filled with the names of the affected wetlands, and carried on a march along the Moira River to the footbridge on the Riverfront Trail. The protesters chanted slogans against Bill 23, and bystanders joined in and cheered the protesters on as they passed.
One of the protesters, Kelly Toms, is a Belleville resident who opposes Bill 23 not only for its environmental impact, but because she believes it doesn’t encourage the kind of housing people need.
Kelly Toms, a Belleville resident, dressed in a plague doctor mask during the march, and carried a sign declaring Doug Ford to be the “real plague.”
“Everything about Bill 23 has me out protesting,” said Toms. “First off to destroy wetlands and valuable things we need for our planet. We’re in the age of climate change and we must protect our environment, not plow it over, fill it in and build houses for rich people.”
The protest organizers say that the casket, containing the names of every wetland in the area that is no longer protected printed on individual signs, is to be delivered to MPP Todd Smith as a reminder of the consequences of Bill 23.
