In 1970, Guelph administrator Fred Woods challenged city council by affirming: “We will reserve and preserve open space lands that future generations will value beyond price.”

In 1973, to support this vision, the City of Guelph Parks and Recreation Master Plan affirmed that “Open space is no longer residual land but a vital component of an orderly urban environment that serves many irreplaceable functions. Preservation, acquisition, and development of open space must occur within a broad framework. To be effective, the framework must become the central co-ordinating element in planning. The recommended practical solution is to develop a linked and integrated network of open space.”

In 1975, the city received a grant of $160,000 from the province to cover a 50 per cent share of the $320,000 purchase price for the 116-acre Kortright Waterfowl Park from the Ontario Waterfowl Research Foundation.

The city paid 40 per cent of the remainder of the price and the GRCA paid 10 per cent.

Mayor Norm Jary and Eileen Hammill, the park’s general manager, were pleased with the purchase saying that “the Kortright Park was a key parcel of land for the protection of the Hanlon watershed, since it is at the junction of the Hanlon Creek and the Speed River.”

The lands were to be an integral part of a planned 845-acre Hanlon Creek Conservation area that would extend the valley lands along the whole length of the Hanlon Creek. The GRCA was to be the partner in the project to preserve and protect both the open spaces and the rivers.

The Grand River and its major tributaries, the Conestogo, Eramosa, Nith and Speed rivers, were declared Canadian Heritage Rivers in 1994. The designation recognized the outstanding human heritage features and the excellence of recreational opportunities along the rivers. The area’s rich history was reflected in the watershed’s historic sites and artifacts: dams, mills, canals, unique bridges, historic homes and other features.

In The Grand Strategy for Managing the Grand River, the following Management Plan Action was promised:

— To strengthen, through shared responsibility, the knowledge, stewardship and enjoyment of heritage and recreational resources of the Grand River watershed.

In the 2014 Ten-Year Monitoring Report, the GRCA said, it is “initiating the rehabilitation of the former Kortright Waterfowl Park on Niska Road in Guelph.”

It outlined a plan to work with the community to formulate a Master Plan for the property and noted, that “new roads and increased vehicular traffic are a known a threat to amphibians and reptiles.”

All of these dreams and all of these promises are now broken.

John McMurtry’s excellent June 30 letter to the editor pointed out that the GRCA appears to have plans to sell and permit development on the former Kortright Waterfowl Park lands.

The GRCA also supported the demolition of the heritage Niska bridge and the widening of Niska Road, actions that will threaten the flora and fauna of the surrounding area and the watershed of the Hanlon Creek and the Speed River (both parts of the Heritage Grand River).

The City of Guelph’s official plan appears to replace the meadowlands with 400 town houses and apartments and with a huge sports complex. Rumours abound that the GRCA plans to sell the property for more than $8 million — property that the province and the City of Guelph financed to become a significant conservation area in Guelph.

Despite the commitment of the GRCA to work with the community to develop a master plan for the property, no such consultation has occurred.

The time has come to stop the GRCA in its tracks, to call them to account for their broken promises, and to open the Kortright lands to the public for their use and for public consultation.

The GRCA has broken faith with the dreams of Horace Mack and with the community. The City of Guelph has broken its promises to the people of Guelph to conserve the lands along our rivers and creeks, and to create a Cultural Heritage Landscape in the Speed River Valley.

It is time to speak out to prevent the irretrievable loss of our environment.

Susan is an advocate for Guelph’s heritage and a great fan of Canadian authors.

The first section (The Dream) was written by Rosemary Anderson in a series of articles about Place Names in Guelph.