The Barrie Examiner reports this morning that, “An elderly couple say they have been singled out by police to face potential mischief charges for their involvement in the ongoing Site 41 protest.”
“Keith Wood, 82, says his participation has been merely talking to fellow protesters while his 76-year-old wife, Ina, sits nearby and knits.”
“The former dairy farmer said he had two recent heart attacks, and also suffers from other diseases, including Parkinson’s and cancer. (Mr. Wood has also had bypass surgery and walks with a cane.) He doesn’t understand why police have singled out him and his wife.”
“They say police called their Baseline Road home yesterday around 3:45 p.m. (while Mrs. Wood was baking tarts) and told them to be at the Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment in Midland by 5 p.m.”
“Wood said they have been granted an extension (to get legal counsel). (They plan to appear Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. at the Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment.) It’s unclear whether they will be charged with mischief, or whether the charges will only be laid if they continue to protest the landfill site’s construction.”
Mr. Wood said, “I was really surprised. I’m just sitting around here everyday talking to people, keeping an eye on my heritage — the water. I have a right to protest peacefully. I’m not doing anything, and when she’s here, she’s sitting there knitting.”
You can see a photo of Keith and Ina Wood at http://sejhre1.com/PHOTOS/Site-41/Keith_and_Ina_Woods-2009.08.04/DSCN0258.JPG.
The article also reports that, “Simcoe County is seeking a (permanent) injunction against protesters, while the Council of Canadians is seeking a declaration that site construction is unlawful. A final decision on both is expected next week (August 13-14).”
Also, “The county was ordered by adjudicator Colin Bhattacharjee in May to write Jagger Hims directing the company to provide the records of the calibrated hydrogeological model and input data used as the basis of a report concerning the landfill. Simcoe County has also been given until August 12 to indicate how it plans to comply with the order to obtain records that an engineering firm has refused to provide.”
The full article is at http://thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1685482.
