GCA will not endorse Lansdowne legal fight
Posted Feb 5, 2010 By Desmond Devoy
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Desmond Devoy, Ottawa East EMC
Glebe businessman John E. Martin will proceed with his legal action against the City over the future of Lansdowne Park in spite of the GCA's decision.
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Desmond Devoy, Ottawa East EMC
Caroline Vanneste, President of the Glebe Community Association, collects her thoughts before the start of last week's meeting.
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EMC News - The Glebe Community Association (GCA) has decided not to endorse Vitally Ottawa's legal challenge against the redevelopment plans for Lansdowne Park. 
Desmond Devoy, Ottawa East EMC
From left, Jeff Bond of Volunteer Ottawa, Ottawa-Vanier MPP Madeleine Meilleur, Keenan Wellar, President of Heartwood's Board of Directors, volunteer Lucas Rodgers, Vicky Kyriaco, manager, Transit Marketing and Customer Service with OC Transpo, and Heartwood House's Executive Director, Maureen Moloughney, with the award.
Local businessman John E. Martin is in the midst of raising funds to hire legal representation to take his case to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and had asked the GCA for their endorsement.
But, during the GCA's monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 26, the association carried a motion, drafted by former GCA President Bob Brocklebank, which stated that "the GCA does not provide an endorsement of the legal motion put forward by John Martin."
"We (the GCA) felt it was immature...(since) the City hasn't signed a contract yet," explained June Creelman, who heads the GCA's Landsdowne Park committee, during the meeting at the Glebe Community Centre, 175 Third Avenue. "We're a bit wary that he did launch this without our awareness and then turned around and asked for our support."
Creelman added figuratively that "we don't write blank cheques," but noted that "we're not ruling out legal action in the future."
Creelman reported that Martin had been invited to address both the January 2010 and November 2009 GCA board meetings but "both times he did not come."
"He's working on his own," said GCA President Caroline Vanneste. "I agree with June. As a community association, we never had one person making decisions, especially like launching a legal action against the City." Vanneste hastened to add though that Martin had not asked the GCA for any financial support. Vanneste reported that the Old Ottawa South Community Association (OOSCA) had been asked to support Martin's action, and one resident said that the Centretown Citizens Community Association (CCCA) had also been asked to support Martin.
"We would really need a fulsome decision on this," said Christine McAllister, chair of the GCA's education committee. But she conceded that "there are people in the community who do support John Martin."
Creelman said that her preferred method in addressing the Lansdowne Park issue was "to do it in a communal way," something she felt was at odds with the way Martin was operating.
"We need to work as a team," said Vanneste. "We can't back one resident who is not willing to work with the community."
During a telephone interview from his Fifth Avenue office the next morning, however, Martin said he was undeterred by the GCA's decision.
"That's their decision. I don't feel it is indicative of the community as a whole. It doesn't appear to reflect the wishes of the community," Martin charged. Martin said he had turned down the offers to appear before the GCA board because "I'm not selling anything. This isn't about trying to convince people," and that he felt he had provided them with "sufficient documents," to prove his case.
"You either think it is worthwhile or you don't," he said. "I'm not going to try to convince people who don't want to be convinced."
Martin said that, as of that morning, he had collected "just under" $10,000 in the trust fund for his legal challenge, and that his group was averaging about $1,200 a week in donations.
Martin also alleged that he had asked the GCA to "hold a membership vote," on the matter, to support his legal challenge, "because I knew it would pass. They declined."
He added that he did not feel that the GCA's decision would weaken the momentum of his drive.
"I don't anticipate any change," he said. "People have been supporting this regardless of what the GCA says. People are thinking independently."
ddevoy@thenowemc.ca
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