Clinton News Record, 2015-04-22, Page 1212 News Record • Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Kristine Jean Postmedia
Network
Elizabeth Marshall,
Director of the
Canadian Justice
Review Board, and
member on the
Steering Committee
for the International
Property Rights
Association, spoke to
area residents about
landowner rights at
a meeting on April
16 at the Brodhagen
Community Centre.
Complicated legislation key reason
property rights in spotlight
Huron -Perth Landowners Association
hosts speaker in Brodhagen
Kristine Jean
Postmedia Network
If you're a landowner, you
have rights.
That's a message Eliza-
beth Marshall, the Director
of the Canadian Justice
Review Board, shared last
Thursday, April 16, in a pub-
lic meeting at the Brod-
hagen Community Centre.
Invited by the Huron -
Perth Landowners Associa-
tion, Marshall passionately
spoke on landowner rights
17th Annual Bayfield I ions
April 24th, 25th S H C\/V
and 26th
2015 16fr
FRIDAY
5-9pm,
SATURDAY
11 am -Spm
SUNDAY
11 am-4pm
at
Bayfield Arena &
Community Centre
Join us for...
• Food Court
• Demonstrations
• Facepainting
for the kids
Door Prizes
Gas BBQ from Bayfield Garage
5 - $50.00 Gift Vouchers from
Bayfield Foodland
See the
• Latest Technology
• Newest Merchandise
& Services
Proceeds for this event will be
used for community projects
Bayfield
Arena,
Esso
Station
JANE ST.
11
rim
on private property - a topic
she is no stranger to.
"My parents taught us
our rights," said Marshall.
"I've been doing deep
research for approximately
five years now."
Approximately 250 people
heard Marshall discuss a
variety of topics related to
property rights, including
legislation and how it affects
land rights, the Municipal
Act, private property rights
and public property
responsibilities.
"I don't need a permit to
paint a sign on my own
property - if you read the
Municipal Act you will see
that," Marshall told the
crowd. "No one, and I mean
no one, is reading the legis-
lation. You can't blame them
- legislation is constructed so
poorly now that you are all
being denied justice, you
don't know it, though."
Marshall pointed to a recent
example of a senate bill.
"I download this bill and I
started reading it," she said,
noting section 20, subsec-
tion six - a statement that is
20 words long.
"When I went to all of the
other pieces of legislation
and all of those other sub-
sections that referred me to
other pieces of legislation,
and other subsections, that
20 word sentence turned
into 350 pages," she said.
"You cannot tell me that
our elected officials are
reading the legislation that
they are signing on the dot-
ted line for, can you? That is
the problem we're having.
Legislation is to be con-
structed so you can read
that document in its entirety
and know and completely
understand exactly what
they are saying."
In addition to providing
examples, Marshall
stressed the importance of
both private property own-
ers and elected officials
knowing their rights and
understanding the powers
elected officials have, as
per the Municipal Act.
"I'm actually trying to
help municipal council-
lors," she said. "The prob-
lem is, they have been mis-
led for decades because no
one is reading the legisla-
tion in its entirety."
She alluded to a book by
Ruth Sullivan, who teaches
construction of legislation
at the University of Ottawa
and who has worked for the
Ministry of Justice, which
states in the forward that
legislation must be read in
its entirety to know and
understand the intent of
the legislators.
"And when you're reading
that document, you have to
take in the constitutional
rights of the people and the
Criminal Code of Canada
because it's paramount, "
she added.
Marshall said she began
researching and completing
reports on legislation, because
no one is reading them in their
entirety, and officials and
bureaucrats - including law-
yers and planners - were not
being taught everything they
need to know in university.
She is speaking out today
because she feels people's
rights - landowner's rights,
are being infringed upon.
"The government is tak-
ing land that is not theirs.
They cannot interfere with
any land use, unless they
pay fair compensation, but
they can't expropriate for
recreation or esthetic pur-
poses," she continued. "So
they're euchred."
There was at one time,
agreement between land-
owners and the government,
but times have changed.
"There used to be that
ability to trust the agents,
but now you can't trust
them," she said. "They won't
put it in writing, and then
the next thing you know,
you're done."
For more information visit
www. ontariolandowners. ca
Call 1-866-734-9425
or visit www.medicalert.ca
cit), Medic
Lets You Live Life.