NEWS RELEASE
RESCUE LAKE SIMCOE COALITION
****************************
Sometimes fascinating places and their stories are hiding in plain sight, or are underfoot but undetected, and in some cases, they are under a planned highway. Such is the case for the Lower Landing on the East Holland River, one of our most provincially significant cultural heritage sites, and the Bradford Bypass.
Local history lovers, First Nations people, story tellers, users of the Holland River, fishermen, residents and environmentalists will all find a webinar about the Lower Landing on Tuesday, April 18 at 7 p.m. fascinating, and possibly infuriating. The Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation objected to putting a highway over this site in 1998. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation is still looking at the same route and to date no alteration of the route has been proposed to avoid this site.
The webinar, called Don’t Blast the Past, features presentations by:
• Roddy Assance, Great grandson of Chief Assance who led his people to Christian Island after the forced relocation away from Coldwater.
• Leland Porte, member Chippewas of Georgina Island, avid fisherman and family cook. Knows Lake Simcoe or Ashunyung like his forefathers did.
• Bert Duclos, Cultural Heritage Consultant, local historian.
• Scarlett Janusas, Licensed Archaeologist, President, Ontario Marine Heritage Committee, Scarlett Janusas Archaeology Inc.
• Cynthia Wesley Esquimaux, Georgina Island First Nations member, Chair on Truth and Reconciliation, Lakehead University, Orillia and Thunder Bay
• Becky Big Canoe, Georgina Island First Nations member, Chair, Water is Life Coalition for Water Justice.
Register here.
This event is co-hosted by the Water Is Life Coalition for Water Justice, the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition, Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition and Stop the Bradford Bypass.
****************************
