Submitted by Hardscrabble Farmer
BELLEVILLE, Ont. — Protesters have vowed to continue their fight to save Frank Meyers’ ancestral farm even as demolition crews prepare to tear it down.
A 220-acre parcel of land south of the CN tracks on Meyers Creek Road in Quinte West in eastern Ontario was expropriated by the federal government in August 2012. It will be part of a 900-acre training facility for Joint Task Force 2, just north of CFB Trenton.
The farm has been in the Meyers family for more than 200 years.
While construction crews were preparing to demolish farm buildings Monday, Frank Meyers, 85, was moving fence rails, hay bales and clearing out buildings.
Protesters watched from the CN tracks and stayed overnight to keep an eye on the property.
Meyers signed off on a compensation offer from the federal government last December when family members went to Toronto to meet with federal officials.
His son John Meyers said the family has yet to receive any money from the government.
“We went up to see if we could have this stopped,” John Meyers said. “Public Works Government Services Canada said there was nothing we could do to stop it. I would not say that we signed off in good faith.”
Meyers said there was a lot of “pressure” when it came to signing.
“It’s very sad that it’s come down to this,” Meyers said. “This is like a death in the family.”
The defence department has posted “no trespassing” signs on the expropriated property.
Activist Lisa Gibson created the Facebook page Save Frank and Marjorie Meyers Farm, which has more than 19,000 followers.
On Monday, Gibson spoke to the small crowd of protesters from the step of the tractor driven by Frank Meyers.
She said Meyers was “bullied and intimidated” into signing the compensation offer.
“He signed under duress,” Gibson said. “What kind of country puts a man through that. This country is way out of control.”
Gibson said the protest will continue “until someone in the government exercises some common sense.”
Sitting in the tractor Meyers said, “We have to get rid of (Prime Minister Stephen) Harper.”
Meyers was given a short time to clear his remaining property from the farm yard before the actual demolition begins.
John Meyers, though, said officials from CFB Trenton have co-operated with the family as it struggles with the loss of its farm.
Quinte West Mayor John Williams said the region is very lucky JTF2 is coming to town.
“I realize it’s a very divisive issue,” he said. “No one in this community or on this city council wants to see anyone hurt, but there comes a time when you have to weigh the economic benefits.”
Ameliasburgh resident Phillip Ostroskie helped Meyers remove items from the yard.
“You can’t build on prime farmland, but it seems the government can do what they damn well want,” he said. “This is all about making war.”
Campbellford resident Ben Couch said the loss of prime farmland can’t be replaced.
“Every acre that’s taken away from a farmer is an acre that we have to rely on from someone else,” he said.
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Coming to a town near you.
Take a sharp look at what is happening to our good neighbor to the north. This slow march of marxism is happening here as well. The farm community has been for the most part habituated by the system, some will disagree with this I am sure. The system has done this through the price of equipment, seed, fertilizers and tax code. The strangle hold is through the USDA, banks and other lending and regulatory agencies. In short our farmers are quickly becoming co-opted by the system. It is becoming more and more difficult for the independent farmer to exist. We have seen a similar take over of our health care system, schools, colleges, cities, county and town governments. I think there is going to be some bad juju coming down.
Food is one of the ultimate weapons.
Holodomer…Ukraine–1932-33
This was largely carried out on an unarmed and defenseless population. If we allow the large corporations/government to co-op our food producing members of society we will or could face the very same thing. The first thing they must do is disarm the public at large. The second part, taking over the farms will be a walk in the park so to speak. Our children and grand children are in for the fight of their lives in my opinion and they don’t see it coming. I would like to say that I had a solution to this progressive rot that is taking place in our Republic but, I don’t. I can only hope that enough folks wake up to the fact that we are on the brink of enslavement and a possible genocide. Just like the Holodomer.
How much land do you imagine that the government of Canada has? Hundreds of millions of acres? But they needed this specific 220 acre farm to build their terrorism center (I wonder why they need that?).
For your information this article is from 2014. The farm will be long gone now. Farmland in southern Ontario is being decimated at an alarming rate but I thank the good Lord I have my 10 acres of protected land (until the .gov decides to expropriate). Until then I will continue with my little sugarbush and my gardens!!
Hope you have a spectacular sugar season this year.
Thanks, right back at you!!
When the gov’t ‘expropriates’, that’s legal. When an individual steals something, that’s illegal.
Yeah, we definitely need gov’t to protect and save us. /sarc
I guess another way to put it is, the government just decided to not renew the lease! I wonder if they offered the current selling price per acre or if they just gave him what he paid for it. It works the same way here in the USA. How thoughtless of me to think I paid good money for the property so I could own it, with a deed I can wipe my ass with if I am careful. Under the present day system of taxation you more correct than a little bit SAO. Your sarc is noted.
What gets me is that everyone KNOWS the US Fed Gov is a criminal enterprise and yet a huge part of the population keeps voting for the next stooge.
I want to know why people cooperate in their enslavement. It’s the same in Canada, Europe, etc. All gov’t are illegitimate criminal enterprises the world over.
I hate to be paranoid but, if this is an article from 2014 I am beginning to wonder what the purpose of running it is? I have often wondered if the comments made are being used in place of polling the greater population. In one way this would be a good way to determine how the population is thinking. Just suggesting. I think we can all agree that these posts are being read and monitored.
Government stealing land certainly isn’t new.
Alvira, PA was a town seized by Uncle. They kicked everyone out then found they didn’t need the land after all. Now it is a mixture of game lands, landfill, and a Federal Pen built in the ’90’s.
Do some investigating. Betcha some politicians own some surrounding land deals and they gonna get paid well too…..
After all of that, the govt then decided not to develop the land, apparently. This link was from Feb 12 this year on his save the farm facebook page, so he is out for nothing and so is Canada and all of us without his production and with one more case of oppression:
https://nationalpost.com/news/liberals-pull-plug-on-decade-old-plan-to-move-elite-joint-task-force-2-unit-out-of-ottawa?fbclid=IwAR1wjHQPxtFGlcKOZPBEZfbjbJlxoHuAOcxYzZqoJaQ9hiDQFnjguCylIO8
His FB page, has recent activity… https://www.facebook.com/Save-Frank-Marjorie-Meyers-Farm-1419959788219689/