"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Friday 8 June 2012

Times Have Certainly Changed

KA-NON has left a new comment on your post "Ontario Heritage Has Title Free and Clear":

I will infer by your comments that the documents with which you have been provided indicate that Ms. Bartley Smith's wishes were indeed for the lands to remain undeveloped.

You argue that her wishes are academic given that free title, without covenant to the benefactor's wishes, is in the hands of a 3rd party.
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You may not assume  a covenant was attached to the transfer of title to  Heritage Trust. 
The late Ms. Bartley Smith was indeed a generous woman. Transfer of the lands for commensurate value  allowed for  proceeds  to be divided  between various charities of her choice.
Had the intention been for community use of the property, title could have been transferred  for the sum of  two dollars to the municipality not the Heritage Trust Foundation.
That is not what happened. 
Oversized services are in the ground  in  abutting property. A  road  was designed  to accommodate ongoing  development.
The bulk of the estate was not left to the family. The will was disputed and upheld.
Ms Bartley Smith died in 1987.
Since then the land sits. A no man's land.
The town could certainly make use of areas  for recreation without disturbing the geological sensitivity.
Other areas could be developed with the same sensitivity. 
The Province is in serious  financial crisis.
How many more parcels of land do they own for no better reason than to provide  people of such wealth the opportunity to transfer ownership for tax relief.
How many precious works of art, stashed away in warehouses,
could be auctioned off  to reduce the nation's debt.
What do I care if documents show the stuff changed hands for the sum of two dollars making it seem like a generous donation. We all know it was no such thing.
I just thought of something.
That's how the town got possession of the little factory theatre property. A few hundred dollars were owing for property taxes and title was transferred  for that amount.  Except that it was given for the purpose of a theatre and a hundred and fifty chairs accompanied the gift.
We got a twenty-one thousand dollar L.I.P. grant. Drama club members themselves went in there and shoveled out the incredible 
garbage left from the last concrete forming factory operation. 
They drew up  the plans to get the grant between Friday night and Monday morning
My God it was exciting..
No chance of anything like that happening now. 
Oh Dear me no!
We can't even plan a wing-ding holiday week-end party for twelve months from now, without hiring a manager for $70,000.and another $30,000. thrown in to make it an even hundred. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey. Dad? You know that money you have in the bank? It's not really doing anything. So me and Ted and Moragh got to thinking of ways to spend it. We figured we could have a really good party. Like hire a band and get all dressed up. All our friends could come. Maybe even some of yours. What do you think?
Dad? Dad ? Where are you going?

Anonymous said...

Hope Dad isn't heading to the gun locker.