THUNDER BAY – Ray Smith says a community farm being planned for Victoria Park will attract vermin and vagrants, devalue property and introduce a bee threat to the quiet neighbourhood where he lives.
Smith on Wednesday led a small, but rowdy protest against the latest Roots to Harvest project, a 2.25-acre community garden that will include vegetables, a greenhouse, fruit trees and eventually small animals and a bee hive.
The long-time protestor who in the past opposed development at Marina Park and led the charge against a proposed $114.6-million event centre, on Wednesday organized a small protest against the garden in the park, which also happens to be across the street from his home.
“We’re the guinea pigs,” Smith told his audience, which included a mixture of opponents and supporters of the garden project.
“They’re calling this a super farm … well, I say it’s a super smorgasbord for rats in the neighbourhood. This farm does not belong in a residential neighbourhood.”
Erin Beagle, executive director at Roots to Harvest didn’t pull any punches when addressing Smith’s opposition to the garden.
“We’ve heard this from Ray for years,” Beagle said. “His undertones are really destructive to a happy and vibrant community.”
Beagle said much of what Smith claims is misleading, saying property values will not drop and in fact will increase. Crime will also decrease, she promised.
“When neighbourhoods do projects like this, communities connect and we’ve seen evidence of this for 10 years at our sites, even in our sites in Thunder Bay.
Beagle said while she’s had limited opposition at other community garden sites, including one at the Volunteer Pool on the city’s north side, it’s never been quite this vocal.
“Right now what we’re seeing here … is exaggerated opposition. I think Mr. Smith builds fear and I think that legitimately makes people untrustful of what’s going on. I haven’t seen opposition like this, but I haven’t had a Mr. Smith in the other gardens that we’ve done,” Beagle said.
Lakehead Public Schools’ director of education Ian MacRae said they’ve worked with Roots to Harvest on a number of project at schools across the city and never had an issue in the past.
