Don't you just love your government?
Finally a better response from Peter Kent, Minister of the Environment! On August 16, 2012 I received a letter, which while still suggesting that I should talk to the NCC who are not interested in me or what effect their organization has had on me and my family, Peter Kent tells me that the person who oversaw the Ministry of Environments interest in the agreement was Robert Mclean. I emailed him twice, but he would not respond. On October 14, I have notified Peter Kent that Robert Mclean will not respond in hope that he will help me get a response. I am also trying a "Freedom of Information" application. I am sure if I am ever to learn anything, I will have to use that act because there sure doesn't seem to be any desire for government representatives to help me learn anything!
I now hear from a provincial MLA who opposed government funds going to the NCC for the purchase of Darkwoods, that he doubts that the Feds place any conditions on the money granted them. If this is correct, what does that make Jim Abbott! Jim Abbott's legacy related to this purchase discredits his word badly! I can't believe we supported him in the past!
update...
After years of trying to contact someone who was involved in the grant to the NCC under the "Natural Areas Conservation Program", I have finally come in contact with Robert Mclean. He was the government representative who oversaw the granting of monies to the NCC. According to him, he nor the government have anything to do with purchases' which are made by the NCC with government monies. They do not have any guidelines or protocol for the effects that an organization like the Nature Conservancy of Canada have on any jobs or livelihoods! IT'S JUST WRONG TO GIVE GOVERNMENT MONEY WHEN IT PUTS PEOPLE OUT OF WORK WITH NO HELP!!! After a couple of short correspondences with Robert Mclean, it seems he is comfortable with the governments stance of no concern for jobs. I would love to hear otherwise from him or government representatives! I wonder if he would have had any concerns if the NCC had purchased condos in Monaco!
Finally, Mr. Robert Mclean Explains:
After a lot of running around I finally received a response from Mr. Robert Mclean ( Executive Director, Wildlife Program Policy Canadian Wildlife Service, Environmental Stewardship Branch, Environment Canada ). It was his job to oversee the agreement between the Federal Government and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. He assured me that he nor the Government of Canada were involved in anything the Nature Conservancy did regarding purchasing lands and shutting down any operations. I would have thought that the Government would have wanted to know exactly how $125,000,000.00 of tax money would have been spent. GOVERNMENTS! I asked if he could direct me to whomever I should speak with to ensure that Government monies would never go to such a purpose again ( putting people out of work ). He never got back to me ( guess he just doesn't care! ).
I wonder how many who visit here really believe that the Government of Canada representatives or NCC representative said before the purchase that "there might be some job loss", or do they believe that the Government of Canada representatives and the NCC representative may have been more likely to have said "there would be no job loss", but there may be a little less work for 5 years?
Robert Mclean, Executive Director, Wildlife Program Policy, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environmental Stewardship Branch, Environment Canada said (when contacted by me after the fact) that the government had no concerns or interest in affects on jobs as a result of their grants. Do you think that sounds arrogant, unfeeling, or irresponsible?
Robert Mclean says: "Your understanding of the agreement is correct in that specific land transactions are entirely between the purchaser and the vendor and therefore, neither I nor anyone else in the government is involved. We do not receive any information related to industrial operations or other activities on any of the properties acquired under the Natural Areas Conservation Program. Consequently, I am not in a position to address the nature of any changes in local employment that may have occurred as a result of the purchase of the Darkwoods property by the Nature Conservancy of Canada nor to the nature of on going work and employment that the current management of the Darkwoods property might support." (This is exactly why this should have never happened, and should never happen again!)
Is it any wonder people get violent and do stupid things? Especially when they can't even get help or acknowledged after they have been destroyed by their wonderful government?